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EDITED  TXDEE  THE  DIRECTION  OF 

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OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


CORRESPONDENCE  CONCERNING 
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MONUMENTS  TO  GREAT  ITALIANS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

Mazzini  Garibaldi 

Columbus 
Verrazzano  Verdi 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


A  SOCIAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  STUDY 

OF  THE  ITALIANS  IN 

AMERICA 


BY 


ANTONIO  MANGANO 

DIRECTOR,  ITALIAN   DEPARTMENT, 
COLGATE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


NEW  YORK 

THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 

191  7 


COPYRIGHT,  1917,  BY 
MISSIONARY   EDUCATION   MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


SRLF 
YRL 


oc. 


TO  MY  WIFE 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

INTRODUCTION xi 

I.     ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  .        i 

II.     ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY      .        .        .        .39 

III.  RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS     ....      69 

IV.  THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN        ...      97 
V.    ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  .        .        .        .131 

VI.     LE     CHIESE     EVANGELICHE     (PROTESTANT 

CHURCHES) 161 

VII.    THE    ITALIAN'S    CONTRIBUTION    TO    THE 

AMERICA  OF  TO-MORROW        .        .        .195 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 223 

INDEX        .  *.....      229 


[vii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Monuments  to  Great  Italians  in  New  York  City  Frontispiece 


PAGE 


At  the  Gate  of  the  Continent 4 

East  Side  Sights 2O 

Map-Chart:    Distribution  of  Italians  in  America  by 

States 28 

An  Italian  Mining  Town,  Boomer,  West  Virginia      .       36 

Chart:    Italian  Immigration  into  the  United  States, 

1856-1916 37 

Native  Types  of  Italy 52 

Map-Chart:    Emigration   from  Italy  to   the  United 

States  by  Provinces 55 

A  Contrast  and  a  Problem:   Out  of  Rural  Italy  into 

Urban  America 60 

Three  Typical  Hill  Towns  of  Central  and  Southern 

Italy 84 

The  Americanization  of  the  Home  ....     IOO 

Map-Chart:   Distribution  of  Italians  in  Greater  New 

York 104 


x  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Two  Streets  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island.         .  .116 

Davenport  Settlement,  New  Haven,  Connecticut  .     140 

The  Social  and  Religious  Center,  Ensley,  Alabama  .     148 

The  Gospel  of  the  Open  Air 164 

First  Italian  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn       .         .  .172 

Elm  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Toronto  .     180 

Grace  Chapel,  New  York  (Protestant  Episcopal)  .     188 

Chart:   Foreign-born  Population  of  the  United  States 

from  Ten  Leading  Countries  of  Origin  .         .     203 

Admirable  Types  of  Church  Architecture  for  Italians     212 
Map:    Italia  Irredenta 216 


BY  WAY  OF  INTRODUCTION 

It  is  high  time  that  we  were  getting  better  acquainted 
with  these  new  and  omnipresent  neighbors  of  ours,  cheerful 
and  industrious  sons  of  Italy.  I  scarcely  know  of  a  city, 
town,  or  industrial  community  in  the  East  or  Middle  West 
that  does  not  have  an  Italian  colony.  Here  in  New  York 
we  have  "Little  Italys"  harboring  from  10,000  to  100,000 
souls.  I  know  of  two  city  blocks  alone  where  8,000  Italians 
make  their  home.  But  the  East  has  no  mortgage  on  these 
new  neighbors.  When  in  San  Francisco  recently,  I  found 
myself  very  much  at  home  in  the  heart  of  a  prospering  com- 
munity of  20,000  Italians.  Here  they  are,  come  to  stay,  new 
Americans,  sharers  with  us  in  the  new  democracy.  We  have 
been  waiting  long  for  just  such  a  book  as  this  to  help  us 
better  to  understand  the  Italian,  his  background,  his  outlook 
in  the  new  world,  and  his  religious  needs  and  aspirations, 
for  a  better  understanding  and  a  genuine  sort  of  sympathy 
is  the  beginning  of  this  business  of  living  together  helpfully 
and  in  the  spirit  of  cooperation. 

We  are  fortunate  in  having  Mr.  Mangano  as  our  inter- 
preter. He  speaks  from  the  standpoint  of  one  born  in  Italy 
and  who  has  himself  traveled  hopefully  the  way  of  the 
immigrant.  Mr.  Mangano's  plea  is  for  intimate,  friendly, 
first-hand  contact  with  the  Italian,  especially  in  the  early 
stages  of  his  progress  in  this  country.  He  knows  what  this 
means.  It  was  the  kindly  interest  of  the  pastor  and  people 
of  a  Baptist  church  in  a  Long  Island  community  that  stirred 
the  heart  of  this  Italian  lad  to  the  privileges  and  opportuni- 

[xi] 


xii  BY  WAY  OF  INTRODUCTION 

ties  of  the  Christian  life.  After  four  years  at  Colgate 
Academy  and  a  year  at  Colgate  University,  he  completed 
his  college  work  at  Brown  University  and  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1899  with  honors.  Then  he  went  back  to  Italy 
for  a  year  to  revive  his  boyhood  memories  and  to  study  the 
language.  Upon  his  return  to  America  he  completed  his 
theological  studies  at  Union  Seminary,  New  York,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1903,  at  the  same  time  receiving 
the  degree  of  master  of  arts  from  Columbia  University. 
He  made  a  second  trip  to  Italy,  and  a  third  return  for  the 
special  purpose  of  studying  Italian  emigration.  The  results 
of  his  studies  were  presented  in  a  series  of  five  articles  in 
the  Survey  (1908).  After  a  pastorate  of  three  years  at  the 
First  Italian  Baptist  Church  of  Brooklyn,  Mr.  Mangano 
was  made  Professor-in-charge  of  the  Italian  Department  of 
Colgate  Theological  Seminary,  located  in  Brooklyn,  in  which 
position  he  continues.  The  incidents  in  the  lives  of  Italians 
mentioned  in  the  following  pages  are  all  true,  having  come 
under  Mr.  Mangano's  direct  observation  during  his  many 
years  of  work  among  his  countrymen.  And  all  of  this  I 
have  set  down  by  way  of  introduction,  that  the  reader  may 
better  appreciate  the  vantage  point  which  Mr.  Mangano 
enjoys.  He  is  himself  a  true  son  of  Italy,  a  loyal  American 
citizen,  a  devoted  and  resourceful  servant  of  the  Christ  and 
his  church. 

WILLIAM  P.  SHRIVER. 

New  York, 

June  i,  1917. 


I 

ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA 


Alien    assimilation    depends   largely   upon   American   attitude. 

Nothing  is  so  perilous  in  a  democracy  as  ignorance  and  in- 
difference. 

We  build  a  Chinese  wall  of  exclusiveness  around  ourselves, 
our  churches,  and  our  communities,  and  then  blame  the  foreigner 
for  not  forcing  his  way  within. 

— Howard  B.  Grose,  Aliens  or  Americans? 

THE  ITALIAN  BOOTBLACK 

What  right  divine  gives  me  the  kingly  place 
O'er  him,  my  youthful  subject  bending  low? 
Strive  as  I  may,  not  mine  his  thoughts  to  know, 
Only  to  watch  with  what  unconscious  grace 
(Each   flashing  gesture   telltale   of  his   race) 
His  eager  hands  fly  swiftly  to  and  fro. 
Soft-syllabled  his  alien  accents  flow; 
He  lifts  his  eyes;  at  last  I  see  his  face. 

No  menial  soul  bows  in  that  gaze  to  me; 
Out  of  such  depths  the  pallid  Florentine 
Saw  down  to  hell,  looked  up  to  paradise; 
Lorenzo's  orbs  are  his  that  darkly  shine; 
A  nation's  history  is  in  these  eyes, 
Thy  pathos  and  thy  promise,  Italy! 
— The  late  George  H.  Bottome, 

Vicar  of  Grace  Chapel,  in  A  Ficar's  Poems. 

The  alien  in  our  midst  is  too  elusive  a  subject  for  satisfactory 
study.  He  changes  too  rapidly.  But  yesterday  he  was  a  solid 
citizen  in  his  particular  village  of  Sicily  or  Roumania,  of  a 
piece  with  his  ancestral  background,  surrounded  by  friends, 
apparently  rooted  in  his  native  soil.  To-day  he  is  adrift  in  a 
foreign  world,  mute,  helpless,  and  tragically  ridiculous — a  soul 
in  purgatory,  a  human  creature  cut  from  its  moorings,  the  most 
pitiable  sight  to  be  met  on  the  earth.  To-morrow?  Who  knows? 
— M.  E.  Ravage,  in  Harper's  Monthly,  March,  1917. 


I 

ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA 

FIRST  IMPRESSIONS 

Tommaso  was  nine  years  old  when  he  landed  at  Ellis 
Island,  and  very  cold  and  inaccessible  the  big  city  seemed. 
Domenick,  who  had  been  his  traveling  companion,  had 
strangely  disappeared,  so  he  had  no  one  to  speak  for  him 
and  he  looked  in  timid  bewilderment  at  the  officials  who 
questioned  him.  Where  were  father  and  mother?  He  had 
expected  to  see  them  as  soon  as  the  ship  landed,  and  now 
the  old  woman  told  him  the  inspector  said  no  one  had 
called  for  a  little  boy ;  he  would  have  to  stay  all  night,  per- 
haps many  nights,  and  then  go  back  all  the  way  to  Italy. 
The  little  fellow  threw  himself  on  the  floor  in  a  torrent 
of  tears.  If  only  he  could  find  Domenick.  True,  the 
man  had  been  very  unkind  to  him  on  the  voyage,  yet  he 
had  promised  to  take  him  to  his  father;  why  didn't  he 
come  and  keep  his  word?  What  would  this  new  country 
be  like?  Tommaso  lived  over  all  the  momentous  events  of 
the  past  month.  First  the  latter  from  babbo  (papa)  in 
America,  saying  that  he  had  found  work  in  a  tailor  shop 
and  mama  and  he  had  a  home  again  and  wanted  their  little 
boy  with  them.  Nonna  (grandma)  was  to  send  him  back, 
with  Domenick,  babbo's  friend. 

Domenick  made  many  trips  to  Italy,  because  he  was  an 
agent  of  a  big  shipping  line  that  made  it  easy  for  people 
to  come  to  America.  And  so  Tommaso  had  come  in  a 
big  ship,  where  the  babies  and  little  children  cried  most 
of  the  night  in  their  discomfort,  and  he  had  found  it  hard 


4  SONS  OF  ITALY 

to  endure  the  horrible  odors.  Domenick  had  begun  to 
hit  him  and  swear  at  him  as  soon  as  the  ship  left  Naples, 
had  allowed  him  to  go  dirty  and  ragged,  and  had  given 
him  so  little  to  eat  that  he  felt  weak  and  ill;  for  when  the 
ship's  man  came  by  with  the  big  bucket  of  food,  Domenick 
had  struggled  with  the  others  to  get  his  tin  cup  filled,  and 
had  frequently  overlooked  the  needs  of  his  little  fellow- 
traveler. 

Meanwhile,  over  in  Mulberry  Street,  an  Italian  tailor 
and  his  wife  were  waiting  impatiently  from  day  to  day  for 
news  of  the  ship's  arrival.  "La  Cittd  di  Genova  is  in,"  said 
the  father  one  night.  "It  must  be  that  they  didn't  get  to 
Naples  in  time  to  come  over  on  her.  They  will  certainly 
come  next  week."  The  next  evening  as  he  came  wearily 
up  Grand  Street  after  his  day's  work,  he  came  face  to  face 
with  Domenick.  "Where  is  my  boy?"  he  cried,  seizing  the 
lapel  of  Domenick's  coat,  as  the  latter  seemed  about  to  slip 
away.  "Oh!"  replied  the  Neapolitan  lightly.  "I  forgot 
all  about  him  when  we  landed.  Guess  he  is  still  on  the 
ship.  Here  are  his  papers  if  you  want  them."  Tommaso's 
father  snatched  them  eagerly,  and  rushed  home. 

THE  ARRIVAL 

By  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  anxious  parents 
were  on  the  ferry,  and  a  few  moments  later  they  were  stand- 
ing in  front  of  a  big  desk  hurriedly  answering  the  customary 
questions  of:  "What  is  your  name?  Your  occupation? 
Where  do  you  live?  For  whom  have  you  come?  What  re- 
lation are  you  to  the  new  arrival?"  "I  am  afraid  it  is  hope- 
less," said  the  official;  "the  passport  seems  all  right,  but  we 
have  no  record  of  any  child  by  that  name  who  has  landed 
here  this  week."  "How  about  that  little  fellow  we  found 
on  the  ship  and  can  learn  nothing  about?"  whispered  an- 
other inspector.  "Why,  yes,  they  may  look  at  him,"  and 
he  not  ungraciously  unlocked  the  gate  and  let  Maria  and 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  5 

Michele  in.  "Come  this  way;  there,  is  that  your  son?" 
Inside  a  pen  or  cage  formed  by  heavy  wire  partitions  lay 
a  ragged  little  boy  asleep.  His  grimy  face  was  oddly 
streaked  where  last  night's  tears  had  washed  their  way. 
"Oh,  no,"  said  Maria  scornfully,  "my  son  is  not  ragged 
and  dirty  like  that!"  and  she  turned  away.  "What  is  his 
name?"  asked  Michele.  "We  don't  know;  you  speak 
Italian — find  out  for  us,"  and  he  gently  poked  the  boy, 
who  opened  and  rubbed  his  eyes  in  sleepy  surprise  at  his 
visitors.  "Come  ti  chiama?"  ("What  is  your  name?") 
questioned  Michele.  "Tommaso,  Tommaso  Santucci,"  re- 
plied the  child.  "What!"  cried  Michele,  "I  can  hardly 
believe  it.  Maria,  Maria,"  called  the  father  excitedly, 
"it  is  our  son!"  After  the  happy  greetings  were  over, 
and  Tommaso  was  on  the  ferry  with  his  parents,  Michele 
looked  about  for  something  to  wash  his  son's  dirty  face. 

Having  arrived  at  the  Battery  Park  landing,  the  three 
walked  along  Broadway  in  search  of  a  shop  where  Tommaso 
could  be  provided  with  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  The  lad 
trudged  on  way  ahead  of  his  parents  looking  curiously 
at  all  he  saw.  The  elevated  trains  interested  him  most. 
"From  Italy,  aren't  they,  babbo?"  he  cried.  "They  are  like 
the  train  I  took  to  Naples,  They  come  from  Italy,  don't 
they?" 

"Ecco  (Look),"  said  Michele  to  his  wife  as  they  passed 
a  small  group  of  men  hurrying  along,  with  numerous  valises 
and  odd-shaped  bundles,  led  by  a  burly,  bundle-free  in- 
dividual, "there  goes  that  fellow  Fraccone  with  some  new 
men,  I  suppose.  Grazia  a  Dio  (Thank  the  Lord)  !  I  have 
a  trade,  or  I'd  have  been  sent  out  to  work  on  a  railroad, 
when  I  landed."  "Is  that  hard  work?"  asked  his  wife. 
"Hard,  did  you  say?  those  poor  cafoni  (peasants)  are  going 
into  slavery  and  they  don't  know  it.  Their  padrone  Frac- 
cone will  take  $10.00  from  each  man  for  getting  him  a 
job.  There  is  a  notice  in  his  window  that  the  Erie  Rail- 
road wants  seventy-five  men.  Those  men  would  know 


6  SONS  OF  ITALY 

better  than  to  listen  to  Fraccone,  if  they  could  speak  English. 
But  here  is  the  bottega  (store)."  "Vleni  qua  (Come  here), 
Tommaso,"  he  shouted  at  the  little  figure  ahead,  the  tones 
all  in  the  upper  register,  with  a  peculiar,  drawn-out,  sing- 
song intonation  of  the  last  syllable.  "Tommaso-o-o-o-o, 
vieni  qua!" 

Arrayed  in  his  cheap  new  suit,  Tommaso  felt  quite  Ameri- 
can already,  and  he  strutted  proudly  along  with  his  parents 
to  Mulberry  Street,  well  known  by  name  and  reputation  in 
Italy,  as  Piccadilly  and  the  Strand  are  known  to  America. 

STREET  EDUCATION 

During  the  day  Italian  women  came  in  to  see  Maria's  son 
and  hear  how  he  was  found,  and  in  the  evening  Michele 
took  him  for  a  walk  through  the  dirty,  littered  streets  to 
the  Bowery.  The  boy  was  amazed  to  find  the  people  all 
Italians,  speaking  the  same  dialect  as  his  father,  who  pointed 
out  the  houses  and  shops  belonging  to  Italians  who  had 
become  rich  in  America.  Even  on  the  Bowery  there  were 
Italians  tending  numerous  apple-  and  peanut-stands.  This 
broad,  bustling  street  with  its  dazzling  lights  made  a  last- 
ing impression  on  the  child  brought  up  in  a  hill  town  of 
Italy.  "This,"  he  said  softly  to  himself,  "must  be  the  center 
of  the  great  city,  Nuova  Yorka.  I  like  it.  I  shall  find 
many  to  play  with.  I  shall  like  this  America."  Months 
flew  by.  Tommaso  had  become  acquainted  with  every  boy  on 
the  block  and  had  been  duly  initiated  into  all  their  chief 
pastimes.  He  learned  that  he  had  to  shoot  craps  on  the 
sly  or  the  cop  would  break  up  the  fun.  That  official  had 
to  be  avoided  too,  if  the  boys  played  ball  in  the  street, 
or  got  up  a  good  fight.  Moving  pictures  were  a  great 
attraction,  and  he  went  every  day  to  see  what  new  pictures 
there  were  on  the  bill-boards.  Sometimes  if  he  hung  around 
the  entrance  long  enough,  the  manager  would  let  him  in, 
after  the  lights  were  down.  Cold  chills  crept  up  and 


down  his  back  as  he  witnessed  thrilling  scenes  of  what  - 
he  thought  was  really  American  life.  The  life  of  a  high- 
wayman would  just  suit  him.  In  the  evenings  the  light 
and  music  of  the  big  cafes  attracted  him,  and  with  Giuseppe 
and  Angelo  he  would  lie  flat  on  his  stomach,  peering  under 
the  gate-like  doors  of  the  saloon,  watching  the  -men  drink 
and  smoke  at  the  bar,  or  gambling  with  cards  at  the  little 
tables,  and  he  quickly  learned  the  vulgar  songs  they  sang. 
His  father  never  sent  him  into  the  saloon  for  beer,  but  he 
had  sidled  in  once  or  twice  with  Giuseppe,  who  had  to 
go  every  night  for  a  pailful,  and  the  bartender  kindly  turned 
his  head  while  they  drained  one  or  two  glasses  standing" 
on  the  gaming  table. 

This  exciting  and  care-free  existence  was  rudely  inter- 
rupted one  night  when  he  opened  the  door  to  his  home 
rather  timidly,  for  it  was  later  than  usual.  His  father  seized 
him  fiercely  by  the  shoulder  and  in  loud,  excited  tones  began 
to  berate  him.  "You  run  away,  you  ingrate!  Do  you 
think  I  brought  you  to  America  to  grow  up  a  vagabond? 
You  will  disgrace  me.  Here  your  mother  sits  sewing  coats 
all  day  and  is  likely  to  grow, blind  and  I  am  driven  to  death 
by  that  Jew-  in  the  shop,  just  to  keep  you  in  school,  so  that 
some  day  you  may  be  a  gentleman.  The  officer — do  you 
hear  it? — the  policeman  who  never  came  to  my  door  before, 
came  to-day  to  arrest  your  mother  for  not  sending  you  to 
school.  Where  have  you  been  ?"  Very  reluctantly  Tommaso 
told  of  his  engrossing  life  on  the  streets,  but  he  was  quite 
unprepared  for  the  scorn  heaped  upon  him.  The  next 
day  Tommaso  went  soberly  and  dutifully  back  to  school, 
but  was  lured  off  by  Angelo  to  their  customary  pursuits 
in  the  afternoon.  Maria  and  Michele  talked  long  that 
night.  "Come,  figlio  mio  (my  son),"  said  his  father  quietly 
the  next  morning.  "If  you  wrill  not  go  to  school,  you 
must  go  to  work.  I  will  not  let  you  grow  up  a  loafer  on 
the  street." 

Silently  Tommaso  reached  for  his  cap  and  started  off  with 


8  SONS  OF  ITALY 

his  father.  On  the  street  they  saw  a  group  of  Sicilians 
hurrying  along  with  a  loud  clatter  of  heavy  shoes  on  the 
pavement  and  a  louder  clatter  of  tongues,  their  pick-axes 
and  shovels  showing  they  were  bound  for  the  new  subway 
excavations  under  Broadway,  that  wonderful  underground 
street  for  electric  cars  that  Salvatore  had  told  him  about. 
At  length  they  reached  a  tall  brick  building,  and 
Tommaso  climbed  four  flights  of  narrow  stairs  behind  his 
father  and  followed  cautiously  past  the  machines  whose 
big  wheels  had  commenced  to  whirl.  In  an  instant  the 
room  was  rilled  with  a  clicking,  humming,  throbbing  noise, 
from  which  there  was  not  an  instant's  relief.  Giorgio 
Savelli,  a  boss  who  had  risen  from  the  ranks,  looked  at 
Tommaso  with  a  half-smiling,  half-appraising  look  in  his 
black  eyes.  After  a  talk  with  the  father,  he  turned  to  the 
boy.  "Why  don't  you  like  to  go  to  school?"  he  asked 
abruptly.  Tommaso  hung  his  head.  "Oh,  come  now,  tell 
me.  I  was  a  boy,  like  you,  not  so  long  ago.  Are  you  lazy?" 
Tom  flushed. 

THE  Boss'  STORY 

"Your  father  has  asked  me  to  tell  you  about  my  life,  so 
you'll  see  how  necessary  it  is  to  go  to  school.  If  you  don't 
know  how  to  read  and  write  English,  you  can't  get  along 
well  in  America.  A I  came  over  here  with  my  mother  to 
meet  my  father,  who  worked  somewhere  out  in  Ohio,  they 
said.  We  went  to  the  home  of  a  paesano  (fellow  country- 
man) in  Jersey  City,  and  they  tried  to  find  my  father,  but 
he  had  moved  and  they  couldn't  get  track  of  him.  My 
poor  mother  had  to  go  to  work  on  cigars  to  pay  for  her 
board  and  mine.  The  whole  family  worked  on  the  tobacco 
except  the  three  men  boarders  who  sometimes  slept  in  the 
room  while  we  worked.  There  were  five  children  counting 
me.  The  eight-year-old  boy  sold  papers  after  school,  but  we 
all,  even  the  girls  who  were  six  and  four,  had  to  stay  home 
often  to  help  roll  the  cigars.  Even  I  helped  though  I 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  9 

was  five  years  old,  and  the  baby  crawled  about  on  the  floor 
in  all  that  dirt.  Poor  little  fellow,  our  mother  never  got 
a  minute  to  take  him  out  in  the  fresh  air  until  he  died. 
Well,  my  mother  came  from  the  Abruzzi  and  had  worked 
outdoors  all  her  life,  so  she  didn't  last  long.  She  caught 
tuberculosis,  they  call  it,  bad  disease  it  is,  comes  from 
always  staying  indoors,  with  too  many  people  breathing  the 
same  air  over  and  over.  Our  paesana  woman  felt  she  had 
enough  on  her  hands  with  her  own  children  to  look  after, 
so  I  was  put  in  a  protectorate  (Catholic  home  for  children). 
I  didn't  like  it  there  very  well,  and  tried  to  run  away,  but 
they  caught  me,  and  how  those  sisters  beat  me,  gagged  me, 
so  that  no  one  on  the  street  would  hear  me  holler.  They're 
called  sisters  of  charity — that  means  love — but  I  never  saw 
one  bit  of  love  from  them  the  six  years  I  was  there.  We 
didn't  learn  so  very  much  but  prayers  and  catechism,  and 
we  had  to  confess  every  day.  The  sisters  made  us  write 
down  our  sins  on  our  slates,  and  a  bunch  of  us  who  were 
pals  would  get  together  and  make  up  a  lot  of  stuff  and  then 
copy  from  each  other's  slates  to  have  it  all  alike. 

When  I  was  twelve  years  old  they  sent  me  to  a  ranchman 
down  in  Texas.  Well,  I  stayed  there  three  years,  but  they 
didn't  have  any  more  love  than  the  sisters  did,  and  I  had  to 
work  pretty  hard,  cooking  for  the  cowboys,  washing  their 
shirts  and  cleaning  their  boots  and  feeding  what  stock  was 
kept  under  shelter.  One  day  I  learned  there  were  lots  of 
Italians  at  a  place  twenty  miles  away,  called  Bryan,  and,  as 
the  cotton  picking  season  was  coming  on,  I  could  probably 
get  work.  A  week  later,  I  skipped  off,  following  the  Brazos 
River,  until  I  reached  a  settlement  of  about  350  Sicilian 
families.  The  first  of  them  came  there  thirty  years  ago  to 
work  on  the  railroad,  and,  finding  that  the  Americans  didn't 
want  the  cheap  land  along  the  river  because  it  was  flooded 
every  spring,  they  were  persuaded  to  buy  it.  As  soon  as 
they  made  a  little  money,  they  sent  for  their  families  and 
more  of  their  townsfolk,  until  now  there  are  over  3,000  of 


to  SONS  OF  ITALY 

them.  Half  of  them  own  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  acres 
each.  They  raise  corn  and  cotton.  Their  property  extends 
along  the  river  for  eighteen  square  miles.  They  have 
drained  it  and  have  made  it  quite  a  nice  little  town,  with 
fifteen  stores  and  one  church.  There  isn't  any  school,  so 
they  send  the  children  mule-back  or  in  donkey-carts  ten  miles 
to  school.  They  do  work  mighty  hard.  The  women  and 
children  help  too.  Now,  if  anybody  wants  to  buy  land 
there,  it  is  worth  $250  an  acre. 

"Ecco"  ejaculated  Michele,  "but  what  did  you  do?" 
"I  was  taken  on  to  pick  cotton,  but  as  soon  as  the  season 
was  over,  there  was  nothing  for  me  there,  so  I  had  to  move 
on.  I  began  to  think  now,  I'd  like  to  get  back  to  New 
York.  Of  course  I  didn't  have  money  enough  to  pay  for  a 
ticket,  for  it's  a  long  journey,  and  you  have  to  count  out  for 
food,  too,  on  the  way.  So  I  decided  to  walk  back  and  try 
to  earn  my  daily  living  on  the  way. 

"To  make  a  long  story  short,  I  did  tramp  all  the  way 
back,  stopping  in  towns  and  cities  where  I  found  Italians. 
Pretty  nearly  every  city  has  some  Italians,  you  know,  and 
as  they  all  live  in  one  part  together,  it  was  always  easy 
to  find  them.  One  day  in  Cincinnati  I  saw  a  notice,  'Sixty 
men  wanted  for  work  on  the  railroad.'  I  went  in  and 
talked  to  the  banker,  who  was  also  the  padrone.  He  told 
me  he  'made  the  men'  for  lots  of  jobs  on  the  streets,  big 
buildings,  and  railroads,  and  if  I  wanted  work  I  would 
have  to  come  to  him,  because  the  Americans  wouldn't  hire 
any  Italian  except  through  him.  I  didn't  want  to  sign 
up  for  four  months'  work.  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  back 
to  New  York,  but  my  money  was  nearly  gone.  So  I 
finally  put  my  name  down.  The  padrone  wanted  $6.00 
bossatura  (the  fee  for  the  boss),  but  as  I  had  only  $3.00 
left,  he  took  that  and  agreed  to  have  the  railroad  com- 
pany give  him  the  other  three  out  of  my  first  pay  envelope. 
Most  of  the  other  fellows  had  to  go  in  debt  to  the  boss 
too  for  our  railway  fare,  for  our  food  on  the  journey, 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  *i 

for  our  tools,  and  for  our  board  in  his  house  until  the 
railroad  company  had  a  train  ready  for  us.  We  stayed 
five  days  before  we  were  sent  out,  and  then,  although, 
as  we  afterwards  found  out,  we  paid  first-class  fares,  we 
were  put  in  a  worn-out  smoking  car  in  which  we  traveled 
eleven  hours  to  some  place"  near  Lake  Erie.  Do  you  want 
to  know  what  our  camp  looked  like?" 

LIFE  IN  THE  SECTION  GANG 

"There  were  nine  dilapidated  box  cars,  six  for  the  half 
hundred  men,  one  for  the  hand-cars,  one  for  the  tools,  and 
the  last  for  the  padrone  and  time-keeper.  I  was  allowed 
to  live  with  them.  Ours  was  the  only  car  with  windows. 
On  both  sides  of  the  cars  on  the  ground  were  rusty  tin 
boxes,  propped  up  by  stones.  These  were  stoves.  Heaps 
of  rubbish  covered  the  ground,  and  there  was  an  awful 
stench.  After  the  first  day  I  often  went  among  the  men 
and  talked  with  them  in  the  evenings.  You  must  remember 
there  were  no  windows  in  the  cars.  The  'dogs'  did  not 
need  fresh  air.  As  I  entered  one  car  for  the  first  time, 
the  odor  choked  me.  I  saw  eight  beds  of  boards  placed 
across  two  boxes.  On  these  lay  bags  of  straw,  and  for  a 
covering  the  men  used  old  tan  coats  or  horse  blankets.  The 
blankets  were  covered  with  vermin.  Dirt  of  two  years 
covered  the  mattresses.  Roaches  and  bedbugs  livened  the 
walls,  the  beds,  and  their  surroundings.  The  tables  were 
covered  with  oil-cloth  or  newspapers  as  dirty  as  the  floor. 
Under  the  tables  were  a  few  large  dishes  with  the  garbage 
of  many  a  meal.  I  opened  the  cupboard.  There  was  a 
can  of  tomato  paste  covered  with  a  film  of  vermin  and 
green  mold,  a  loaf  of  soggy  bread,  a  few  rusty  forks  and 
spoons,  and  three  or  four  tin  dishes.  In  all  the  other  cars 
it  was  the  same.  All  doors  were  closed  at  night,  no  windows, 
no  air.  .  .  .  When  it  rained,  the  men's  clothing  was 
drenched.  No  one  undressed  before  going  to  bed.  The 


13  SONS  OF  ITALY 

cars  had  never  been  repaired.  They  were  too  old  to  be 
used  for  carrying  freight  and  were  good  for  nothing  but 
human  beings. 

"The  men  had  to  get  up  at  three  to  dress  and  cook  their 
coffee.  I  looked  out  of  the  door  of  my  car  and  saw  men 
scurrying  here  and  there,  rushing  for  water,  washing,  dress- 
ing, eating.  Many  of  them  were  already  waiting  for  the 
call  of  the  padrone.  Sharply  at  five  o'clock  the  boss  leaped 
from  his  car  and  began  swearing  and  cursing  at  the  men. 
The  poor  laborers  trembled  and  hurried.  In  a  moment  five 
hand  cars  were  on  the  rails.  After  riding  six  miles,  we 
arrived  at  our  destination.  Amidst  cursing  and  swearing, 
t  the  men  took  the  cars  off  the  track  and  began  to  tear  up  the 
old  rails.  In  a  few  seconds  the  sweat  was  rolling  in  streams. 
The  rails  were  heavy  and  the  men  worked  with  might  and 
main  all  the  forenoon.  There  wras  no  let-up,  no  mercy. 
From  shortly  after  five  until  twelve,  about  seven  hours, 
the  men  labored  without  rest.  'The  beasts,'  said  the  padrone, 
'must  not  be  given  a  rest,  otherwise  they  will  step  over  me.' 
As  the  men  silently  appealed  to  him  for  mercy,  I  was  filled 
with  pity,  and  often  during  the  day,  tempted  to  beg  the 
padrone  to  let  them  rest.  But  how  could  I  approach  a 
raging  maniac?  He  was  what  the  railroads  wanted.  .  .  . 
After  seven  hours  of  the  hardest  labor  the  younger  men 
had  sausages  and  bread;  the  older  men  were  satisfied  with 
bread  alone.  Yet,  with  coffee  in  the  morning  and  bread 
at  noon,  these  men  worked  for  ten  hours  every  day  under 
the  blistering  sun  or  in  pouring  rain.  .  .  .  Stopping  work 
at  four,  the  men  returned  to  their  ramshackle  cars  to  cook, 
eat  and  sleep.  In  such  an  existence  there  is  no  religion.  .  .  . 
A  week  after,  the  order  came  from  headquarters  to  move 
Saturday  evening  about  five  o'clock.  Just  as  the  men  were 
preparing  their  suppers,  the  engine  arrived  and  the  men 
had  to  seize  their  cooking  utensils  lying  over  the  tin-box 
stoves  and  retire  to  the  cars,  without  supper.  Of  course 
the  company  need  not  see  that  the  men  had  time  to  eat. 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  13 

They  were  hired  to  work.  None  of  us  slept  that  night.  How 
could  we  lose  consciousness  with  the  rickety  cars  bumping 
and  the  brakes  squeaking.?  Next  morning,  Sunday,  the  sleep- 
lees  men  arose  at  three,  drank  the  cups  of  coffee,  and  de- 
parted at  half  past  four  to  their  work.  Such  things  hap- 
pened every  week,  yet  most  of  the  men  only  trudged  along 
and  never  murmured.  They  told  me  of  their  troubles,  of 
their  hatred  of  the  padrone,  of  their  sorrows  over  their 
lot.  But  they  had  a  mother  or  wife  or  children  back  in 
Italy,  and  these  'anarchists'  were  willing  to  remain  in  this 
sort  of  hell  for  the  sake  of  sending  money  back  to  their 
families."  * 

"The  poor  fellows  don't  get  all  they  earn  either.  For 
instance,  we  were  working  for  $10  a  week.  The  money  was 
all  sent  to  the  boss,  who  first  took  out  of  it  whatever  the 
men  owed  him  for  food.  If  a  man  tries  to  save  more,  by 
buying  little  food,  the  padrone  charges  him  a  certain  sum 
just  the  same.  I  kept  a  list  of  the  boss'  prices  and  the 
store  prices  at  one  city  in  Ohio,  and  always  the  boss'  were 
200  or  300  per  cent,  higher.  Sometimes  the  men  would 
buy  what  they  had  to  of  the  boss,  throw  it  away,  and  go  into 
the  city  to  buy. 

"If  one  of  the  men  wished  a  letter  written  to  his  family 
in  Italy,  it  cost  him  twenty-five  cents,  the  stamp  ten  cents, 
and  the  envelope  five  cents.  So  the  men  didn't  send  many 
letters." 

"Why  did  they  stand  it?  Why  didn't  they  complain?" 
asked  Tommaso.  "Well,  kid,  to  whom?  They  don't 
know  any  English.  If  they  complain  to  the  padrone,  he 
will  discharge  them.  He  can  get  plenty  more,  and  those 
fellows  far  from  home  or  friends  don't  know  where  to  look 
for  other  work.  Sometimes,  I  have  heard,  they  suddenly 
rise  and  kill  a  particularly  brutal  padrone.  Say,  sonny,  do 
you  think  you'd  like  to  join  a  section  gang  as  water  boy? 

'"The  Wop  in  the  Track  Gang,"  by  Domenick  Ciolli,  in  The 
Immigrants  in  America  Review,  July,  1916. 


i4  SONS  OF  ITALY 

That's  what  your  father  tells  me  he  means  to  do  with 
you,  if  you  won't  go  to  school  every  day."  This,  with  a 
sly  wink  at  Michele,  who  now  spoke,  "Si  (Yes),  Tommaso, 
I  will  not  let  you  grow  up  a  loafer  on  the  streets,  like 
Ernesto  Socci's  boys.  Now,  which  will  you  choose?"  "To  go 
to  school,"  replied  the  boy,  slowly.  "But  please  tell  me,  did 
you  find  your  father?"  "Yes,  after  three  weeks'  work  on 
that  railroad,  when  the  first  pay  day  came,  I  ran  off.  You 
see  I  could  speak  English  and  had  tramped  before,  so  I 
wasn't  afraid  to  light  out  for  myself.  When  I  finally  got 
back  to  New  York  and  hunted  up  my  aunt's  family,  I  found 
my  father  there.  He  had  come  back  to  New  York  and 
gone  straight  to  the  Abruzzesi  quarter  on  Morris  Avenue, 
where,  through  our  paesani,  it  was  not  difficult  to  find 
his  relatives.  You  see,  the  Abruzzesi  live  on  one  street, 
the  Genovesi  on  another,  the  Napolitani  on  Mulberry,  the 
Calabresi  somewhere  else.  We  Italians  like  to  live  with 
people  from  our  own  province,  who  speak  our  own  dialect, 
and  will  help  us,  if  we  get  into  trouble." 

"I  am  going  to  be  a  teacher,"  said  Tommaso,  after 
listening  intently  to  the  factory  boss'  story.  "I  think  the 
greatest  need  of  Italians  is  education  and  I  would  like  to 
help  to  give  it  to  them." 

FILOMENA'S  ACCIDENT 

That  evening  when  Tommaso,  assisted  by  his  father,  was 
telling  Giorgio's  story  to  his  mother,  loud  screams  caused 
them  to  rush  out  of  doors  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 
An  ambulance  stood  in  front  of  the  house  next  door  and 
the  white-coated  doctor  was  helping  pretty  Filomena  Manelli 
into  her  home.  The  girl's  head  was  swathed  in  a  big  white 
bandage  and  she  limped  and  groaned  aloud  at  each  step. 
The  Santucci  family  and  twenty  more  of  their  neighbors  all 
followed  them  into  the  house,  and  between  cries  and  moans 
and  sympathetic  ejaculations,  the  story  came  out.  Filomena's 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  15 

beautiful  hair  had  been  caught  in  an  unguarded  wheel  in 
the  factory  where  she  worked  and  before  the  machine  could 
be  stopped  her  head  had  been  terribly  cut.  "But,"  spoke 
up  one  of  the  men  who  had  been  longest  in  America  and 
had  recently  become  a  naturalized  citizen,  "Hyman  Brothers 
are  violating  the  law  to  have  no  guards  on  the  wheels.  I 
will  go  with  you  to  the  police  station  and  see  if  they  will 
arrest  Hyman."  Accompanied  by  this  man  and  two  other 
friends,  Filomena's  father  went  to  the  station  house  and 
poured  out  his  tale  of  woe.  "I  will  send  a  detective  in  the 
morning  when  the  factory  opens,"  said  the  sergeant.  "If 
conditions  are  as  you  say  and  caused  your  daughter's  injury, 
the  man  can  be  prosecuted  and  compelled  to  pay  her  a  liberal 
compensation." 

Early  the  next  morning  two  plain-clothes  men  went  to 
the  factory  with  Filomena's  father,  but  Hyman  had  not 
been  caught  napping.  All  night  long  machinists  had  been 
at  work  and  each  dangerous  wheel  now  wore  the  guard 
prescribed  by  law.  The  baffled  detectives  questioned  two  or 
three  of  the  girls,  but  they  were  stolid  and  uncommunica- 
tive beyond  saying  that  the  guards  had  always  been  there, 
and  with  furtive,  uneasy  glances  at  their  employer,  they 
moved  hastily  away  from  the  detectives. 

"No  use,"  said  one  of  the  detectives  to  Filomena's  be- 
wildered father;  "your  daughter  must  have  been  careless. 
Every  wheel  is  properly  guarded."  "I  don't  understand," 
feebly  replied  the  Italian.  That  night  the  riddle  was  ex- 
plained, when  Filomena's  "lady  friend"  came  in  to  see  how 
she  was  getting  along.  "Hyman  had  them  guards  put  on 
during  the  night,"  said  she,  "and  he  scared  the  girls,  said 
he'd  fire  'em  if  they  told  on  him,  and,"  with  a  shrug,  "you 
know  how  hard  it  is  to  get  work — what  can  the  girls  do?" 
"Yes,  yes,  now  I  understand,"  said  Filomena's  father;  "the 
teacher  at  the  night  school  tells  us  we  must  obey  the  law, 
that  if  we  have  any  trouble,  go  to  the  policemen,  they  are 
our  friends.  The  good  friends  they  are  when  they  don't 


16  SONS  OF  ITALY 

punish  that  man.  Here  I  am  with  eight  mouths  to  feed 
and  $2.00  to  pay  to  the  doctor  every  day  for  my  girl.  And 
the  law  doesn't  make  that  Hyman  pay  anything."  "Pazienza 
(patience),"  said  the  mother;  "come  now,  mangia,  mangia, 
(eat),"  as  she  put  a  smoking  dish  of  beans  and  macaroni  on 
the  table. 

And  of  such  exciting  incidents  Tommaso's  daily  life  was 
made  up.  Sundays  or  saints'  days  he  liked  the  best  of  all. 
Then  there  was  always  festa,  or  holiday-making.  Father 
never  went  to  church,  but  mother  always  took  him  to  mass 
first  and  then  he  had  the  rest  of  the  day  for  play.  Perhaps 
his  father  would  take  him  and  mother  to  the  moving  pictures 
in  the  afternoon,  or  to  the  park  to  hear  the  band  play,  or 
to  a  hall  where  a  ball  was  in  progress  and  there  was  sure 
to  be  violin  music  and  somebody  to  sing.  If  it  was  a  saint's 
day  there  would  be  a  parade  in  honor  of  the  saint,  headed 
by  a  fine  band.  Tommaso  well  remembered  the  excitement 
over  the  last  feast  at  which  his  father  was  a  deputy  or 
committeeman  in  charge  of  planning  the  festival.  The 
deputies  had  collected  $900,  of  which  they  proposed  to  spend 
$500  for  fireworks,  $350  for  flags,  bunting,  strings  of 
colored  lights,  and  other  street  decorations,  and  $50  was 
offered  the  priest  to  say  a  special  mass.  The  priest  was  very 
angry  and  shouted  at  the  men  that  unless  they  gave  him 
$100  he  would  not  say  the  mass  and  he  would  forbid  them 
to  hold  the  festival.  Tommaso's  father  and  the  other  men 
were  equally  indignant.  They  thought  that  $50  was  enough 
for  a  mass;  they  refused  to  pay  him  the  $100,  and  decided 
to  hold  the  festival  without  the  priest.  They  placed  the 
statue  of  the  saint  in  a  vacant  lot  (one  year  when  it  rained 
they  had  placed  the  shrine  in  the  back  room  of  a  saloon), 
and  the  festival  was  held  with  undiminished  gaiety,  and 
since  that  time  Tommaso's  father  had  refused  to  go  to 
church  or  have  anything  to  do  with  the  priest,  although  he 
always  took  Tom  out  to  see  the  festivals. 

Best  of  all  Tommaso  loved  singing.     When  he  grew  up 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  17 

he  meant  to  go  to  the  big  opera  house  he  had  heard  some 
of  the  men  talk  about,  and  hear  all  of  Verdi's  operas,  and 
not  just  the  parts  the  bands  played,  or  the  music  hall  men 
sang.  He  could  whistle  several  airs  from  "Rigoletto"  and 
<(I1  Trovatore,"  and  Salvatore  could  whistle  whole  operas, 
changing  his  voice  to  imitate  the  different  instruments  in  the 
orchestra,  now  the  'cello,  now  the  violins  or  the  piccolos. 
Every  night  his  father  played  on  the  accordion  and  sang  old 
songs  of  Italy ;  and  he  had  promised  that,  if  Tommaso.stayed 
faithfully  in  school,  next  year  he  would  buy  him  a  violin 
and  "make  him  take  lessons  of  Maestro  Altobelli."  His 
love  of  song  brought  Tommaso  to  the  priest's  attention,  and 
he  was  soon  invited  to  become  an  altar  boy  and  assist  in  the 
ceremony  of  the  mass.  This  Tommaso  gladly  did ;  his  father 
scoffed  a  little,  but  his  devout  mother  was  overjoyed,  for 
deep  in  her  heart  was  the  desire  that  her  son  should  become 
a  priest,  for  if  one  had  a  priest  in  the  family  did  he  not 
save  all  the  family  from  their  sins? 

TOMMASO  AND  THE  EVANGELISTAS 

Two  or  three  days  after  school  closed,  Tom  and  his 
companions  were  racing  madly  around  the  corner  to  escape 
from  a  policeman  who  had  surprised  a  fine  imitation  of 
a  prize-fight  which  they  were  holding,  when  they  saw 
on  a  vacant  lot  a  large  white  tent.  "Movin*  pictures," 
vouchsafed  a  boy  who  stood  by  the  tent.  "Dey  has  fine 
pictures  every  night.  Don't  cost  nuttin'  to  go  in."  Tom- 
maso and  his  companions  resolved  to  be  on  hand  at  7.45, 
as  the  big  placard  said,  but  by  night  the  tent  was  forgot- 
ten. Next  day  was  Sunday  and  Tommaso  and  his  friends 
were  surprised  to  hear  what  the  tent  really  meant.  Padre 
Morello  told  his  flock  that  a  dangerous  sect  of  heretics  had 
put  up  that  tent,  and  had  moving  pictures  to  entice  the 
people  to  their  ruin.  None  of  the  faithful  should  dare  to 
go  near  them  or  they  would  be  eternally  lost.  They  were 


i8  SONS  OF  ITALY 

very  bad  indeed.  They  worshiped  the  head  of  a  dead 
horse,  and  they  had  so  little  sense  they  allowed  a  donkey  to 
stand  up  and  preach  to  them  every  night.  "Gee,  some  wild 
west  show!"  whispered  Salvatore  to  Tommaso.  "Let's  go 
to-night."  "Sure,"  replied  Tom.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
Tom's  mother  and  the  other  women  were  greatly  frightened 
and  cautioned  their  children  to  keep  away  from  the  heretic 
tent.  Tom  and  his  friends  were  curious  to  see  for  them- 
selves, and  seven  o'clock  found  them  on  the  street-corner 
opposite  the  tent  watching  to  see  what  happened.  Two 
men  cordially  invited  Tommaso  and  his  friends  to  enter  the 
tent.  "Come  on,"  whispered  Tom  to  the  others.  "Who's 
afraid,  I  ain't,"  and  in  they  went.  The  tent  was  well 
rilled  with  Italians.  In  front  was  a  platform  with  a 
piano,  and  a  young  lady  was  singing.  The  pictures  were  of 
Italy,  that  beautiful  country  that  each  boy  had  heard  his 
parents  talk  of  so  enthusiastically.  Then  there  was  a  picture 
of  Gesu  blessing  little  children  and  the  minister  told  the 
people  how  much  Jesus  loved  children  and  wished  to  be 
their  friend.  No  dead  horse's  head  nor  donkey  were  visible. 
The  boys  liked  it  and  determined  to  go  next  day  to  the 
summer  school,  which  the  man  said  was  held  in  the  same 
tent.  Long  before  nine  o'clock  the  next  day  they  were  hang- 
ing around  the  tent,  awaiting  an  invitation  to  enter.  The 
summer  school  proved  so  interesting,  with  its  songs,  gym- 
nastics, and  wood-carving,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fine  stories 
the  teacher  told  every  day,  that  Tom  went  regularly  and, 
after  the  tent  closed,  was  easily  persuaded  to  attend  the 
Evangelista  Sunday-school  and  church  .service.  One  visit 
was  enough  for  Tommaso.  He  liked  the  teachers.  They 
shook  hands  and  spoke  so  brightly  and  kindly  to  every  one; 
and  he  liked  the  stories  he  heard  there  too.  They  were  try- 
ing to  show  a  boy  how  to  live  wisely  and  well.  He  had 
never  thought  much  about  it  before.  He  had  just  done 
whatever  he  had  felt  like  doing.  These  people  wanted  to 
help  a  boy  make  good  and  loaned  him  books  that  told  about 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  19 

other  poor  boys  who  made  a  success  in  life.  He  felt  a  strange 
impulse  and  longing  to  be  something  better  than  he  had 
ever  known.  So  next  Sunday,  one  altar  boy's  place  was 
vacant.  Tommaso  never  went  back  to  his  mother's  church, 
but  became  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Evangelista  mission. 
It  did  not  take  long  for  his  mother  to  discover  this  fact,  and 
loud  were  her  lamentations  and  reproofs.  Tommaso's  father, 
who  professed  to  hold  all  religion  in  contempt,  would  have 
been  indifferent,  but  for  the  fact  that  he  did  not  like  to  be 
"made  ashamed"  before  his  neighbors  by  having  a  Protestant' 
son.  His  wife's  grief  also  annoyed  him.  So  he  commanded 
Tommaso  to  cease  his  attendance  at  the  mission.  Tommaso 
tried  to  tell  his  father  some  of  the  strange  stirrings  and 
yearnings  of  his  heart  that  had  been  awakened  by  what  he 
had  heard  at  the  tent,  and  of  how  he  felt  he  must  go  where 
those  fine  men  and  women  were,  and  try  to  learn  to  be  like 
them.  But  he  could  not  put  his  feeling  into  words  very 
well,  and  his  plea  fell  on  deaf  ears.  "If  you  go  again,  I  will 
hit  you,"  said  his  father.  The  next  Sunday  came.  Tom- 
maso would  not  go  to  his  old  church  with  his  mother.  He 
felt  an  extreme  disgust  for  it  all.  It  meant  absolutely 
nothing  to  him  now.  He  wandered  disconsolately  along  the 
street.  "Come  on,  Tom,"  called  some  of  his  new  friends  at 
the  mission.  "Can't,"  replied  Tom  sullenly;  "me  father'll 
hit  me."  "Well,  you  can  stand  that,  can't  you?"  "Yes, 
I  can,"  suddenly  replied  Tommaso.  Anyway  it  was  worth 
it  even  to  be  hit,  to  go  in  as  usual,  join  in  the  singing  and 
then  listen  to  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  story  which  he  had 
learned  to  love  and  which  had  awakened  a  manly  response 
in  his  nature.  His  father  kept  his  word  and  hit  him,  but 
Tommaso  continued  to  attend  the  Sunday-school  and  re- 
ceived a  beating  ever}'  time  for  several  months.  Then  it 
suddenly  dawned  on  the  father  that  his  son  was  a  different 
boy.  He  took  a  deeper  interest  in  his  school  and  seldom  if 
ever  played  truant.  He  was  more  obedient  and  respectful 
to  his  parents  and  had  quit  cigarets.  Neither  was  he  out 


20  SONS  OF  ITALY 

racing  the  streets  every  night,  but  more  often  sat  at  home — 
absorbed  in  some  book  the  Evangelista  teacher  had  given 
him. 

One  day  Tommaso  pushed  away  the  glass  of  beer  his 
father  had  poured  out  for  him  and  refused  to  drink  it,  say- 
ing: "Father,  I  heard  at  the  mission  a  man  tell  how  bad 
alcohol  is  for  the  stomach  and  brain.  You  know  how  crazy 
and  bad  it  makes  some  men,  so  that  they  beat  their  wives. 
If  a  man  drinks  much  he  spends  money  that  his  family  needs 
for  food  and  clothes."  This  put  his  father  in  a  towering 
rage.  "Do  you  presume  to  teach  me?  Get  out,"  and  he 
launched  a  vicious  blow  at  his  son,  who  slid  quickly  out  of 
the  door.  But  as  the  days  passed,  Tommaso  steadily  refused 
to  touch  beer  again.  His  father  tried  a  more  subtle  argu- 
ment. Placing  a  half-dollar  by  Tommaso's  glass,  he  said: 
"That  is  yours  if  you  drink  the  beer."  The  money  was  a 
great  temptation.  Visions  of  peanuts,  ice-cream  cones,  water- 
melon, moving  pictures,  and  even  trolley  rides  floated  before 
his  mind,  but  he  steadily  refused,  clinging  to  his  resolve  never 
to  touch  it  again  and  run  the  risk  of  being  as  degraded  as 
the  men  he  constantly  saw  on  the  street  or  in  front  of  the 
cafes. 

TOMMASO  CLIMBS 

Years  flew  by.  Tommaso's  parents — even  his  mother — 
became  more  tolerant  of  their  son's  religion.  The  pastor 
and  missionary  who  visited  their  home  quite  won  their 
hearts  by  their  cordial  manner  of  shaking  hands  and  greet- 
ing and  talking  with  them  as  equals.  They  spoke  so  kindly 
and  with  so  much  interest  of  Tommaso  that  finally  the 
mother,  braving  the  scorn  and  abuse  of  their  neighbors, 
went  to  an  entertainment  at  the  church,  and  eventually 
became  a  member. 

And  so  Tommaso  went  through  high  school,  running  an 
elevator  after  school  hours  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  doing  his  share  in  the  evangelical  work  of 


Copyright,  Brown  &•  Daws. 


EAST  SIDE  SIGHTS 

"Little  Mothers" 
The  Vanishing  Organ-grinder 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  21 

his  beloved  church  by  teaching  English  to  a  group  of  fifteen 
Italians  who  had  recently  landed.  He  studied  and  worked 
his  way  through  the  City  College,  taking  his  bachelor  of 
arts  degree,  together  wi^h  his  master's  degree,  the  year  fol- 
lowing. After  a  year's  probation  teaching  in  an  elementary 
school,  he  now  stands  on  the  approved  list  to  teach  in  the 
city  high  schools.  He  is  engaged  to  a  pretty  young  Italian 
girl,  also  a  member  of  the  same  evangelical  church,  a  young 
woman  of  ability  and  much  sweetness  and  strength  of  char- 
acter. She  has  taught  a  class  of  younger  girls  in  the  Sunday- 
school  and  now  is  the  secretary  of  the  school.  Theresa  is  a 
designer  in  a  dressmaking  establishment,  and  her  good  taste 
and  skill  enable  her  to  earn  $14  a  week.  She  makes  all  of 
her  own  and  her  little  sister's  clothes  and  such  of  her 
mother's  as  she  can  persuade  the  good  woman  to  wear. 
What  a  triumph  it  was  when  she  succeeded  in  persuading 
her  to  wear  a  hat  instead  of  a  scarf  over  her  head,  and  to 
put  away  her  old  shawl  and  wear  an  American  coat.  Her 
father  is  a  florist  and  earns  $25  a  week.  The  family  of 
eight  occupy  five  well-kept  rooms  furnished  in  American 
fashion.  Theresa  and  her  little  sister  both  play  the  piano 
and  one  of  her  brothers  has  recently  commenced  playing  the 
violin  in  a  small  orchestra. 

OCCUPATIONS  OP  ITALIANS  IN  AMERICA 

Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  Italians  who  come  here  are 
men  who  in  their  own  country  live  a^healthful  outdoor  life, 
tilling  the  ground  or  caring  for  vineyards  or  orchards.  Less 
than  twenty  per  cent,  find  such  employment  here.  America 
has  used  the  others  in  her  mighty  industrial  development,  in 
shoe  factories,  glue  and  paint  works,  silk  mills,  machine 
shops,  glass  works,  in  her  coal  and  iron  mines,  stone  quarries, 
and  refineries,  in  digging  her  subways,  constructing  her  rail- 
roads and  waterways.  In  the  trades  shoemakers  and  tailors 
lead.  The  shoemaking  and  repairing  business  is  wholly  in 


22  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Italian  hands  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  their  450  shops  use  $5,000  worth  of  leather  a 
week.  In  some  cities,  notably  Philadelphia,  Italians  form 
nearly  all  the  street-cleaning  force.  In  Chicago  and  Kansas 
City  they  work  in  stockyards.  In  Lawrence,  Massachusetts, 
they  are  in  the  cotton  and  woolen  mills;  in  Paterson,  New 
Jersey,  in  the  silk  mills,  and  in  San  Francisco  the  Italians 
naturally  entered  the  fruit  and  wine  business.  "In  Cali- 
fornia, wherever  Italians  go,  they  plant  a  tree  or  a  vine. 
Even  on  Telegraph  Hill  they  have  their  vegetable  gardens 
on  the  steep,  terraced  slopes.  Chocolate  manufacturing  has 
been  carried  on  successfully  since  1852  by  an  Italian  con- 
cern. In  macaroni  manufacture  they  have  but  one  com- 
petitor in  California.  The  marble  business  belongs  to  them ; 
they  are  leaders  in  the  fishing  industry.  Their  chamber  of 
commerce  is  organized  to  do  business  between  California 
and  their  mother  country."  1  Twenty  years  ago  when  many 
of  them  arrived  and  could  find  no  other  work  they  saw  an 
opportunity  to  collect  and  sell  the  waste  in  our  big  cities. 
To-day  the  rag-men's  is  a  recognized  business  and  a  number 
have  made  comfortable  fortunes  from  it.  There  are  also  a 
larger  number  of  Italian  bricklayers  and  carpenters  in  the 
country  than  it  is  commonly  supposed.  All  the  mechanics 
and  men  who  have  trades  must  work  indoors. 

In  professional  life  Italians  associate  so  much  with  Ameri- 
cans that  it  is  difficult  accurately  to  classify  and  enumerate 
them.  In  New  York  City  alone  there  are  several  hundred 
practising  law,  a  profession  greatly  liked  by  Italians.  There 
are  over  250  physicians  and  many  bankers  and  business  men 
of  large  wealth. 

Wages 

The  unskilled  Italian  laborer  has  to  accept  a  very  low 
wage,  $10  or  even  $7.00  a  week.  Small  tailors  average 
from  $14  to  $18  a  week;  barbers,  $i2-$i8;  factory  hands, 

1  The  Immigrants  in  America  Review. 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  23 

$iO$i8;  musicians,  $2O-$25;  gardeners,  $i8-$2O.  By  far 
the  great  majority  of  Italian  families  in  the  cities  are  living 
on  incomes  ranging  from  $10  to  $16  a  week,  and  if  work  is 
steady  and  there  is  no '  illness,  the  family  will  invariably 
save  a  little  something  every  month.  It  is  the  $8.00  to  $12 
a  week  man  who  is  the  day  laborer,  with  irregular  wTork, 
sometimes  being  laid  off  for  weeks  or  even  months  at  a 
time,  with  resulting  misery  and  want  for  his  family.  He 
tends  to  become  a  tax  on  public  or  private  charity  either  for 
himself  or  some  member  of  his  ill-nourished  family,  especially 
in  time  of  illness. 

Although  each  Italian  colony  contains  a  number  of  pros- 
perous individuals,  the  largest  number  must  be  classed  as 
poor,  dependent  upon  steady  work  for  daily  sustenance,  and 
a  suspension  of  work  or  an  economic  crisis  throws  them  into 
want,  and  in  need  of  outside  assistance.  Dr.  Antonio  Stella, 
who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  Italian  life  in  America, 
with  particular  reference  to  the  occupational  and  economic 
causes  of  the  spread  of  tuberculosis  among  Italians,  has  said : 
"The  vaunted  remittances  of  money  to  their  relatives  in 
Italy,  instead  of  being  proof  of  an  abundance  of  wealth, 
almost  invariably  represents  the  most  humiliating  depriva- 
tion of  the  bare  necessities  of  life;  the  money  they  send 
being  the  result  of  sorrow  and  drudgery  and  every  dollar 
remitted  representing  a  lack  of  food  and  lodging  sustained 
by  them,  with  a  proportionate  decline  of  the  system  and 
deterioration  of  an  entire  people." 

Housing 

Next  to  the  important  question  of  occupation  is  the  vital 
problem  of  shelter.  Italian  families  are  usually  large,  from 
five  to  nine  and  even  eighteen  children.  With  many  mouths 
to  feed  and  little  money  to  do  it,  the  family  seeks  the  lowest 
priced  quarters  regardless  of  sanitary  conditions,  light,  air, 
or  general  comfort.  All  are  familiar  with  the  overcrowded 
condition  of  the  tenements  in  New  York  City.  Similar 


24  SONS  OF  ITALY 

conditions  obtain  in  all  the  largest  cities  of  the  United  States. 
Italians  have  to  live  in  the  poorest  quarters,  in  the  most 
unhealthful  surroundings,  not  because  they  like  to,  but  be- 
cause they  are  too  poor  to  go  elsewhere.  These  wretched 
tenements  take  about  30  per  cent,  of  their  incomes  for  rent, 
and  they  must  needs  take  in  boarders  or  sublet  to  pay  ex- 
penses. This  is  always  a  sign,  however,  that  the  family  is 
in  desperate  financial  straits,  for  the  head  of  an  Italian 
family  tries,  if  possible,  to  have  his  home  for  his  family 
alone.  A  great  many  families  that  have  lived  in  this  country 
twenty  years  or  more  own  their  o\vn  homes. 

Doctor  Stella  gives  some  interesting  data  gathered  by  him- 
self and  a  committee  on  congestion  of  population  for  the 
Italian  government,  which  he  represents.  Eighteen  per  cent, 
of  the  families  examined  occupied  one  room,  and  less  than 
three  out  of  every  hundred  families  had  as  many  as  five 
rooms.  Forty-one  per  cent,  had  one  lodger,  sixteen  per  cent, 
three  lodgers,  three  per  cent,  four  lodgers.  The  great  ma- 
jority of  Italians  were  paying  twenty-five  and  even  fifty  per 
cent,  of  their  incomes  for  rent.  In  most  cases  the  number 
of  cubic  feet  of  air  for  occupants  of  sleeping  rooms  was  less 
than  that  provided  in  prisons.  Cleanliness  and  decency  are 
difficult  under  such  conditions,  especially  since  there  may  be 
only  one  water  faucet  on  the  floor,  or  one  toilet  convenience 
for  an  entire  house  and  that  frequently  out  of  doors.  Again 
from  Dr.  Stella:  "When  people  live  huddled  together  at 
the  rate  of  five  and  six  in  a  room,  it  is  impossible  not  to 
come  in  touch  with  the  utensils,  linen,  and  bedding  of  per- 
sons infected  with  disease,  and  in  this  \vay  harmless  children 
and  honest  women  contract  the  virus  of  venereal  diseases 
without  their  knowledge  and  with  no  wrongdoing  of  their 
own.  I  shall  not  tell  you  of  the  hundreds  of  silent  tragedies 
enacted  in  poor,  honest  Italian  families  where  the  presence 
of  boarders  or  chance  lodgers  brought  the  poison  to  the 
home,  nor  of  the  children  who  have  lost  their  eyesight  in 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  25 

one  night  from  having  rested  awhile  on  the  cot  of  a  tran- 
sient boarder." 

Rear  tenements  are  also  a  great  evil,  cutting  off  from 
either  house  whatever  light  or  air  might  otherwise  pene- 
trate, and  many  contain  dark  rooms  in  which  light  must 
burn  in  the  day-time  if  any  work  is  done.  These  rooms  are 
unbearably  hot  in  the  summer  so  that  the  occupants  sleep  on 
fire-escapes  and  the  children  play  on  the  streets  until  a  late 
hour.  Sometimes  the  people,  panting  for  air,  pass  an  entire 
night  on  the  fire-escape  or  the  door-steps.  In  winter  the 
odor  of  foul  air,  cooking,  and  garbage  combines  to  make 
that  permeating  tenement  smell  which  clings  even  to  the 
garments  of  the  tenement  dwellers.  Rooms  back  of  the 
small  shops  and  stores  are  also  deadly.  The  occupants,  be- 
ing on  the  ground  floor  and  afraid  of  burglars,  nail  down 
the  windows,  and  the  only  air  comes  in  during  the  day 
through  the  store  door. 

Many  Italians  cultivate  small  but  fruitful  gardens  in 
their  back-yards,  and  their  wives  have  a  few  flowers  in  old 
tomato  cans  or  wooden  boxes  on  the  window  ledges  or  fire- 
escapes.  One  Italian  I  know  had  a  fig-tree  of  which  he 
was  very  fond.  He  used  to  dig  a  deep  trench  below  the 
frost  line  and  bury  it  every  autumn,  digging  it  up  in  the 
early  spring  and  carefully  planting  it.  It  rewarded  his  care 
every  year  with  a  handful  of  the  ripe  figs  he  so  dearly  loved. 
In  his  little  city  back-yard  he  also  had  two  large,  well- 
trained  grape-vines,  and  he  raised  a  quantity  of  vegetables 
all  summer  long,  lettuce,  beans,  and  tomatoes  predominating. 

Italian  children,  brought  up  in  the  healthful  environment 
of  the  country,  are  on  an  average  an  inch  and  a  half  more 
in  height  and  from  one  to  five  pounds  more  in  weight  than 
city  children  of  the  same  age.  The  data  furnished  by  the 
physical  examiners  of  the  Italian  recruits  at  the  consuls' 
offices  in  New  York  and  other  large  cities,  show  that  the 
number  of  rejections  for  physical  disabilities  is  frequently 
double  and  treble  that  in  Italy,  and  that  the  vast  number 


26  SONS  OF  ITALY 

of  Italian  men  and  women  who  have  contracted  tuberculosis 
in  America  and  returned  to  Italy  in  search  of  health  has 
reached  such  large  proportions  that  the  Italian  government 
is  considering  special  measures  of  quarantine,  both  on  board 
the  ships  and  at  the  point  of  debarkation.  Tuberculosis 
was  wholly  unknown  in  southern  Italy  before  immigration 
to  America  became  popular.  "Now  one  little  town  in  Sicily, 
Sciacca,  whose  inhabitants  live  in  New  York,  all  on  Eliza- 
beth Street,  between  Hester  and  Broome  Streets,  has  estab- 
lished a  small  sanitarium  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  to 
receive  the  returning  consumptive  emigrants  so  as  to  protect 
the  rest  of  the  population.  The  cause  of  higher  suscepti- 
bility of  Italian  women  to  tuberculosis  must  be  sought  in  the 
sudden  change  from  the  open  air  and  the  free  life  of  the 
fields,  to  the  seclusion  and  semiasphyxiation  of  the  tenement 
houses  where  even  those  of  the  better  class  remain  shut  up 
for  weeks  and  months  at  a  time."  x 

Mines 

Comparatively  few  Italians  engage  in  coal-mining  in 
America.  The  colonies  at  Longacre,  and  Boomer,  West 
Virginia,  are  typical  of  conditions  among  such  groups  of 
Italian  miners.  The  Italians  are  completely  isolated,  miles 
away  from  any  American  settlement.  At  Boomer  sixty  per 
cent,  of  the  miners  are  Italians.  They  live  at  the  head  of  a 
ravine  which  extends  from  the  edge  of  the  Ohio  River 
straight  up  into  the  mountain.  A  double  row  of  low-lying, 
loosely  built  shanties  fringing  both  sides  of  the  ravine  serve 
as  dwellings  for  the  miners,  and  are  rented  from  the  com- 
pany at  $5.00  a  month  for  three  rooms.  Wherever  pos- 
sible the  Italian  miner  has  made  a  little  garden  where 
he  raises  the  indispensable  po?nodoro  (tomato),  a  few 
flowers,  and  some  beans.  This  colony  numbers  500  Ital- 
ians, but  about  a  year  ago  an  explosion  in  the  mines  killed 
twenty-three  men.  No  compensation  was  given  their  fam- 

*Dr.  Antonio  Stella. 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  27 

ilies  and  consequently  the  wives  and  children  suffer.  This 
has  frightened  the  people  so  that  several  families  have 
moved  away.  Good  workmen  earn  $5.00  a  day  and  work 
is  steady  for  eight  months  of  the  year.  A  fine,  clean-looking 
Calabrian  had  this  to  say:  "Yes,  we  can  earn  good  wages 
here,  if  all  goes  well,  but  it  is  living  at  the  end  of  the  world. 
We  miners  are  like  men  going  to  war.  If  we  succeed  in 
saving  some  money  and  getting  out  with  our  lives,  we  may 
say :  'We  have  lived  in  the  midst  of  death  and  have  escaped.'  " 

All  along  the  valley  are  dozens  of  children  of  school  age, 
but  the  company  only  provides  one  inefficient  teacher  who 
holds  school  very  irregularly  in  one  of  the  shanties.  The 
mines'  superintendent,  an  American  who  has  risen  from 
the  ranks  himself,  takes  a  kindly  interest  in  his  men.  He 
told  me  these  Italians  earn  as  a  rule  15  per  cent,  more 
money  on  piece  work  than  other  nationalities  on  account  of 
their  higher  intelligence  and  quickness.  He  said:  "One 
must  learn  how  to  get  on  good  terms  with  them;  they  re- 
spond to  good  treatment.  They  are  all  southern  Italians, 
mostly  Calabrians,  and  a  few  Sicilians." 

Fairmont,  WTest  Virginia,  is  the  center  of  thirteen  little 
hamlets  having  a  population  of  15,000  Italians.  Here  the 
most  intelligent  Italians  have  entered  the  Art  Glass  Works, 
and  the  smaller  trades  and  business  concerns,  or  have  be- 
come merchants.  A  goodly  number  own  their  own  homes. 
The  poorer  element  are  less  intelligent  than  the  Calabrians 
of  Boomer,  and  earn  from  $1.75  to  $4.00  a  day  in  the  mines. 
The  men  with  families  usually  lead  a  quiet,  decent  life,  but 
among  the  single  men  in  the  boarding-houses,  the  moral 
tone  is  very  low.  They  spend  much  of  their  leisure  in 
gambling  and  drinking.  Their  superintendent  reports  that 
when  drunk  they  are  very  hard  to  control,  that  one  hun- 
dred more  mules  are  killed  in  a  "wet"  than  in  a  "dry" 
year;  and  there  are  also  one  hundred  per  cent,  more  crimes 
per  thousand  people  \vhen  the  town  goes  for  license.  Few 
of  the  men  know  any  English  and  very  few  have  become 


28 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  29 

citizens  or  take  any  interest  in  politics.  They  are  greatly 
influenced  by  Industrial  Workers  of  the  World  agitators. 
The  company  provides  a  physician  and  collects  a  dollar  a 
month  for  his  salary  and  fifty  cents  a  month  for  medicine 
from  each  man. 

In  the  mining  fields  west  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Italian 
miners  are  from  northern  Italy  and  Montenegro.  South 
McAlester,  Oklahoma,  contains  several  hundred  Pied- 
montese  who  work  in  the  coal  mines.  Some  of  the  earlier 
arrivals  invested  in  land  and  have  become  very  wealthy. 
Signor  Fassoni,  who  owns  a  macaroni  factory,  has  $6o,OOO 
invested  in  land  there. 

Italians  are  also  found  in  the  mining  towns  of  Texas  and 
Colorado,  the  workmen  being  mainly  north  Italians,  Pied- 
montese,  Venetians,  and  Modenese.  They  live  in  small 
wooden  houses  owned  by  the  company,  and  must  purchase 
supplies  to  the  amount  of  $3.50  a  week  per  man  from  the 
company  store.  Many  times  owing  to  the  poor  quality  of 
the  food  furnished,  Italians  throw  it  away  and  buy  their 
supplies  from  their  own  countrymen  who  keep  provision 
stores. 

Quarries 

There  are  about  3,500  Italians,  mostly  northerners,  living 
in  and  around  Barre,  Vermont.  Two  thousand  are  mem- 
bers of  family  groups;  1,000  are  single  men  who  board  in 
groups  of  five  to  ten  with  no  home  life.  About  500  are 
migratory,  short-job  men,  who  are  coming  and  going  con- 
stantly. The  men  are  employed  in  quarrying  and  finishing 
granite,  and  wages  range  from  $2.50  to  $6.00  and  even  $10 
a  day  for  the  skilled  stone-carvers,  who  with  mallet  and 
chisel  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock  a  figure  in  accordance  with 
the  sculptor's  model.  One  such  sculptor  was  chiseling  the 
figures  of  soldiers  on  the  pedestal  of  a  $7,000  monument, 
when  I  visited  the  stone-sheds.  The  work  is  both  danger- 
ous and  heavy  and  the  life  of  a  granite-cutter  is  often  short. 


30  SONS  OF  ITALY 

The  fine  stone  dust  which  fills  the  air  in  the  sheds  causes 
frequent  cases  of  tuberculosis.  Then,  too,  pieces  of  flying 
stone  often  strike  the  head  or  inflict  painful  wounds  in  the 
eye,  even  causing  loss  of  sight. 

These  Italians  are  ardent  socialists  and  extreme  anar- 
chists, and  long  ago  drove  the  Italian  priest  out  of  town. 
The  American  people  are  afraid  of  them  and  have  aban- 
doned one  section  of  the  town  to  them.  The  Italians  feel 
their  hostile  attitude  and  resent  it  keenly.  Several  of  the 
Barre  Italians  are  men  of  considerable  education;  they 
write  and  speak  French,  German,  and  Italian,  have  studied 
in  the  universities  and  technical  schools  to  acquire  their 
skill  in  design  and  execution,  and  have  much  more  learning 
than  the  average  citizen  of  Barre.  They  could  be  made 
very  helpful  members  of  the  community,  if  the  Americans 
and  Italians  could  only  learn  to  understand  one  another. 
In  fact  it  is  the  Italians  who  made  the  first  move  to  help 
themselves.  They  subscribed  money  enough  to  employ  a 
teacher  of  drawing  and  designing  for  their  children,  and 
later  the  Barre  School  Board  engaged  this  teacher  regu- 
larly for  night  school  work. 

Living  is  abnormally  high  in  Barre,  accidents  frequent, 
and  yet,  especially  among  the  young  single  men,  there  are 
many  with  plenty  of  money  to  spend.  As  one  young  man 
expressed  it:  "We  live  in  a  boarding-house,  where  we  have 
to  drink  beer.  It  is  served  at  every  meal,  and  they  would 
put  us  out  if  we  didn't  drink  it.  I  have  no  place  to  go  in 
the  evening;  I  can't  stay  shut  up  in  my  room.  So  I  walk 
the  streets  or  go  to  moving  pictures  or  the  pool-room."  The 
Socialists  have  built  a  big  hall  where  there  are  dances  and 
meetings,  but  the  serious-minded  Italians,  and  there  are 
many,  would  like  a  place  where  they  could  go,  read  the 
papers,  study  English,  and  indulge  in  gymnastics  for  recrea- 
tion. In  less  than  six  weeks'  time  two  years  ago,  it  was 
possible  to  gather  a  group  of  twenty-two  fine  young  men, 
all  away  from  home  ties  and  influences,  into  a  club  for  the 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  31 

study  of  English,  through  which  the  marked  abilities  of  the 
group  were  developed. 

Agricultural  Colonies 

Although  Italians  are  scattered  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada  and  the  largest  number  are  to  be  found  in  the 
cities  indicated,  still  there  are  thousands  more  in  rural  dis- 
tricts. The  largest  colonies  are  in  Barre,  Vermont,  engaged 
in  stone-cutting;  around  Canastota,  New  York,  doing  truck 
farming;  in  the  sandy  scrub-pine  region  of  southern  New 
Jersey;  in  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  Texas,  raising  sugar- 
cane and  cotton,  and  in  the  valleys  of  California  engaged  in 
market  gardening  and  vine  culture. 

The  Mississippi  Valley  Immigration  Company  was  formed 
five  years  ago  to  find  a  labor  supply  for  public  works  in  the 
Southern  states.  Several  states  that  knew  little  of  Italians 
save  newspaper  accounts  of  Black  Hand  crimes  did  not  want 
them.  Other  states  urged  that  pressure  be  exerted  on  trans- 
atlantic companies  to  compel  them  to  land  immigrants  at 
New  Orleans  as  a  center  of  distribution  for  farm  laborers 
greatly  needed  in  the  South.  Vice-Consul  Villari  about  nine 
years  ago  made  a  study  of  economic  and  social  conditions  of 
Italians  in  the  United  States  and  reported  to  his  home 
government  unfavorably  regarding  certain  Southern  states, 
stating  that,  after  Italian  colonies  had  been  induced  to  go 
there,  they  were  compelled  to  live  in  most  unhygienic  sec- 
tions and  work  under  conditions  amounting  almost  to  peon- 
age and  with  no  educational  facilities.  The  Italian  govern- 
ment published  his  report,  and  few  Italians  are  now  going 
to  these  states.  The  Waldensians,  who  founded  the  colony 
at  Valdese,  North  Carolina,  bought  the  land  before  they 
sailed  and  came  over  with  high  hopes  of  finding  it  the  fertile 
paradise  represented  to  them.  Their  disappointment  at  the 
barren  clay  tract  was  keen,  but  they  had  used  all  resources 
in  making  the  trip.  They  set  to  work  energetically  to  make 
the  best  of  the  situation,  and  to-day  a  comfortably  housed, 


32  SONS  OF  ITALY 

prosperous  colony  is  the  result,  though  the  land  is  too  poor 
ever  to  make  it  a  wealthy  one. 

Italian  life  in  small  villages  and  rural  communities  is 
naturally  more  healthful  and  wholesome  in  that  the  people 
have  plenty  of  air  and  sunshine  and  privacy  for  separate 
family  life.  "Americans,  generally  unfamiliar  with  the 
underlying  causes  of  the  congestion  of  Italians  in  large 
cities,  believe  them  to  be  unfit  for  farm  life."  1  The  state 
immigration  officials  of  many  states  do  not  wish  to  receive 
Italians,  and  all  over  the  country  American  residents  regard 
Italians  as  dirty,  undersized  foreigners  and  shun  them  if 
they  enter  the  community.  In  spite  of  these  prejudices  the 
Italians  have  made  good  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  town 
of  Hammonton,  New  Jersey,  is  a  good  example  of  what  the 
southern  Italian  can  do  to  advance  himself  in  the  midst  of 
an  American  farming  community.  "It  is  more  than  forty 
years  since  Italians  first  came  to  Hammonton,  and  sufficient 
time  has  elapsed  for  a  second  generation  to  grow  up,  and  to 
demonstrate  what  kind  of  an  American  citizen  can  be  made 
out  of  an  Italian  born  and  reared  in  this  country,  and  asso- 
ciated with  Americans  in  school  and  business."  x 

The  first  Italians  came  to  pick  berries  which  grew  on  the 
sandy  soil,  but  the  dry,  wholesome  air  and  the  opportunity 
to  buy  land  cheaply  induced  them  to  stay.  Quantities  of 
berries  and  vegetables  are  still  raised,  especially  sweet  pota- 
toes, the  latter  crop  yielding  as  many  as  forty-five  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

The  Italians  are  mainly  Neapolitans  and  came  singly  or 
in  groups  of  father  and  son.  Gradually,  as  these  succeeded, 
they  sent  for  wives  and  families  or  other  relatives.  They 
usually  saved  enough  in  a  few  years  to  buy  thirty  or  forty 
acres.  This  ground  they  carefully  cleared  of  scrub-pine  and 
underbrush  and  planted  berry  vines,  grapes,  or  garden  vege- 
tables. One  Italian  cleared  $15,000  from  his  fruit  crop  last 
year.  All  over  the  town  land  has  doubled  in  value,  since 

1  United  States  Bulletin  of  Labor,  No.  70,  May,  1907,  pp.  473-533. 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  33 

the  Italians  have  improved  and  cultivated  it.  Many  own 
comfortable  homes  of  their  own  and  are  eager  to  have  them 
furnished  and  kept  in  American  style.  Lace  curtains,  rugs, 
good  furniture,  pianos,  "and  phonographs  are  found  in  well- 
to-do  homes,  approached  by  little  fenced-off  lawns  set  with 
flowers  and  bordered  with  trees,  in  imitation  of  American 
gardens. 

The  attitude  of  their  American  neighbors  has  changed 
through  the  years,  owing  to  the  kindly,  courteous  nature  of 
the  Italians  themselves.  They  are  warm-hearted,  and  if  a 
neighbor  is  ill,  invariably  they  bring  gifts  of  fruit  or  chicken 
and  flowers.  If  an  American  has  been  kind  to  an  Italian, 
his  gratitude  knows  no  bounds.  He  will  remember  his 
American  friend  with  early  vegetables,  baskets  of  fruits  or 
grapes,  artistically  arranged  with  leaves. 

"The  Italians  of  Hammonton  show  themselves  to  be  a 
social  people  with  simple,  natural  tastes;  their  love  of  home 
and  children  is  healthful.  They  are  ignorant,  primitive  and 
childlike,  but  their  faults  will  be  largely  mended  by  educa- 
tion and  good  American  treatment.  Their  courtesy,  gentle- 
ness and  love  of  outdoor  life  and  simple  pleasures  are  de- 
sirable qualities  and  they  take  a  normal  part  in  the  life  of 
the  community."  There  have  been  many  intermarriages 
between  the  Italians  of  the  second  generations  and  their 
American  neighbors  with  whom  they  attended  school.  The 
death  rate  is  low  and  the  children,  although  ignorantly  fed 
whatever  their  parents  eat,  because  of  their  natural  vigor, 
combined  with  an  active  outdoor  life,  grow  up  as  strong  and 
sturdy  as  their  parents. 

HOME  LIFE 

The  Italian  husband  is  verily  head  and  lord  of  his  own 
house.  Not  only  his  children  but  his  wife  are  expected  to 
obey  him.  Frequently  he  is  from  six  to  ten  years  older  than 
his  wife.  If  an  Italian  woman  is  invited  to  take  her  baby 


34  SONS  OF  ITALY 

and  go  for  a  day's  outing,  she  invariably  replies,  "I'll  ask 
my  husband."  Italians  are  very  jealous  of  their  young  wives 
and  frequently  forbid  them  to  leave  the  house  during  their 
absence.  This  is  not  the  case,  however,  with  young  Italian 
women  born  and  reared  in  America,  who  would  never  endure 
such  restraint.  The  family  shares  everything  together.  The 
father  and  mother  give  their  children  whatever  they  have 
to  eat  and  take  them  always  with  them  to  weddings,  family 
feasts,  or  any  entertainment.  Musical  entertainments,  the 
theater,  and  the  opera  are  favorite  diversions  among  Italians, 
who  fill  the  top  galleries,  and  when  a  performer  has  done 
anything  worthy  of  approval,  the  most  hearty  applause  and 
cries  of  "Bis,  bis!  (Encore)"  come  from  the  Italian  gallery. 
Since  theater  prices  are  high  the  Italians  have  instituted 
marionette  shows,  similar  to  those  in  Italy,  which  furnish 
great  delight  to  young  and  old. 

Some  men  are  cruel  and  beat  their  wives  or  tie  their  chil- 
dren to  the  bed-posts  for  punishment,  but  the  majority  are 
good  husbands  and  good  providers  for  their  families,  helping 
their  wives  care  for  sick  children.  If  the  wife  is  ill,  the 
average  Italian  would  stay  home  from  work  to  cook  a  chicken 
for  her,  and,  unlike  some  others  of  the  earlier  immigration, 
will  even  help  his  invalid  wife  with  her  washing.  They  give 
their  wives  most  of  their  incomes,  and  this  is  frugally  spent 
and  a  little  something  regularly  saved.  Even  the  poorest 
families  will  sacrifice  to  give  a  talented  child  music  lessons. 

Family  ties  are  exceedingly  strong.  An  Italian  unques- 
tioningly  regards  it  as  the  natural  thing  to  loan  money  or 
otherwise  assist  a  relative  in  trouble,  and  any  injury  to  one 
of  "his  blood"  he  resents  as  if  done  to  himself.  Children 
are  dearly  loved  and  too  greatly  indulged,  though  often 
harshly  punished  in  sudden  anger.  Sons  are  allowed  un- 
limited freedom,  but  girls  are  carefully  guarded  and  never 
allowed  out  alone  after  dark  or  in  company  with  a  young 
man.  Always  a  brother  or  sister  must  accompany,  some- 
times the  mother. 


ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  35 

Marriage  Customs  Among  Italians 

A  wedding  is  an  occasion  of  great  importance,  and  is 
managed  by  the  parents.  The  oldest  daughter  is  usually 
married  first.  The  young  man's  father  and  mother  arrange 
matters  with  the  girl's  parents,  but  in  this,  as  in  everything 
else,  the  American  spirit  of  freedom  is  making  itself  felt. 
A  girl  is  not  always  satisfied  with  the  man  her  father  may 
choose.  It  is  considered  a  great  misfortune  if  a  girl  is  not 
married  before  she  is  twenty-three.  The  wife  is  expected 
to  have  a  dowry  and  it  is  not  an  unusual  thing  for  the 
parents  of  a  young  man  to  bargain  for  the  dowry  before  any 
agreement  is  reached  between  the  prospective  bride  and 
groom.  But  in  this  also  American  influence  is  felt.  One 
young  woman,  when  asked  what  sum  her  father  would  settle 
upon  her,  replied,  "If  you  wish  me,  you  can  take  me  with- 
out any  settlement,  but  if  you  want  the  dowry,  you  can  just 
go  and  find  some  other  girl."  Italian  girls  begin  prepara- 
tions for  their  bridal  chests  when  they  are  eight  and  nine 
years  old.  They  crochet  yards  and  yards  of  lace  with  which 
to  trim  sheets  and  pillow-cases.  From  time  to  time  as  she 
has  a  little  extra  money,  the  mother  buys  sheeting,  spreads, 
and  material  for  underwear.  By  the  time  a  girl  is  twenty, 
she  usually  has  a  w7ell-filled  chest. 

EARLY  ITALIAN  IMMIGRATION 

Italians  have  been  coming  to  America  ever  since  their 
countryman  Columbus  led  the  way,  but  for  years  only  a 
few  adventurous  spirits  came  at  a  time.  No  records  of 
their  arrivals  were  kept  until  1825.  Their  occupation  may 
be  illustrated  by  the  following  curious  little  anecdote  told 
in  connection  with  a  recent  loan  of  some  family  relics  of 
George  Washington.  In  this  collection  are  some  quaintly 
carved  shell  buttons  used  by  Washington.  Our  first  Presi- 
dent, so  the  story  goes,  was  walking  on  the  streets  of  Phila- 
delphia when  he  was  accosted  by  an  Italian  pedler  who 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


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ITALIAN  COLONIES  IN  AMERICA  37 

besought  him  to  buy  either  his  mosaics  or  his  shells.  "But," 
said  Washington,  "what  could  I  do  with  them?"  The 
quick-witted  Italian  indicated  that  he  might  use  them  upon 
his  waistcoat,  whereupon  Washington  laughed,  good- 
naturedly  purchased  the  shells,  and  took  them  to  his  tailor, 
who  fashioned  them  into  buttons  and  sewed  them  upon  the 
Presidential  coat. 

Fifty  years  ago,  when  Italy  was  in  the  midst  of  her  heroic 
struggles  for  national  independence  and  unity,  many  patriotic 
Italians  of  noble  family  were  obliged  to  flee  for  safety,  and 
some  found  refuge  in  America.  Many  were  warmly  wel- 
comed in  Boston's  exclusive  social  circles.  The  great  Gari- 
baldi himself  lived  in  seclusion  on  Staten  Island  for  two 
years.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Cesare  Botta,  also  a  refugee 
in  America,  wrote  his  excellent  history  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

Immigration  from  southern  Italy  commenced  in  1871,  but 
until  1877  less  than  a  thousand  a  year  arrived,  and  most  of 
these  became  itinerant  pedlers  or  strolling  musicians.  Your 
mothers  and  grandmothers  can  tell  you  of  the  old-time 
organ-grinder,  his  strange  dark  face,  his  velveteen  jacket  and 
the  gaily  dressed  little  monkey  that  gravely  took  their  pennies 
and  pulled  off  his  scrap  of  a  cap  for  "Thank  you,"  all  of 
which  made  an  ineffaceable  impression  of  story-book  land 
upon  their  minds. 

By  1880,  the  tales  of  returned  immigrants  had  fired  the 
imagination  of  those  at  home,  and  5,000  a  year  sailed  for 
America,  wrhile  the  decade  1906-1916  shows  an  enormous 
total  of  2,109,974  Italians  who  have  come  here  during  these 
years,  the  largest  numbers  in  1907  and  1914,  and  the  small- 
est number  in  1916,  because  of  the  war.  Of  these  two 
million  Italians  who  have  entered  the  country,  333,231  are 
northern  Italians  and  all  the  rest  are  from  southern  Italy 
and  Sicily.  Italians  may  now  be  found  in  every  state  of 
our  Union  and  even  in  Alaska,  Hawaii,  and  the  Philippine 
Islands.  The  greatest  concentration  of  Italian  population  is 


38  SONS  OF  ITALY 

in  the  states  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey, 
Massachusetts,  Illinois,  California,  Connecticut,  Ohio, 
Rhode  Island  and  Louisiana.  New  York  City,  with  all  its 
other  race  elements,  contains  approximately  600,000  Ital- 
ians, making  it,  after  Naples,  the  largest  Italian  city  in  the 
world. 


II 

ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY 


Twice  Italy  has  led  the  vanguard  of  civilization.  Will  she  do 
it  a  third  time? 

Truly  Italy  of  the  Italians  is  a  land  pulsating  with  hope 
and  promise,  a  land  that  in  a  brief  fifty  years,  by  its  own 
ability  and  energy,  from  a  congeries  of  little  states,  ill-ruled 
and  exploited  by  churchmen,  Bourbons,  Hapsburgs,  Napoleonic 
upstarts,  has  raised  itself,  by  its  own  unaided  efforts,  to  the  rank 
of  a  first-class  power. 

— Helen  Zimmern,  Italy  of  the  Italians. 

Some  parts  of  the  world  are  renowned  for  their  beauty.  We 
visit  them  to  satisfy  our  inherent  love  for  the  picturesque.  Some, 
again,  are  famous  as  the  scenes  of  great  and  stirring  events 
which  have  made  history;  them  we  visit  to  stand  enthralled  in 
the  presence  of  the  great  spirits  of  old.  Still  other  parts  attract 
us  strongly  because  of  the  vivid  kaleidoscope  of  their  modern 
life  and  customs. 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  Italy,  at  once  exquisitely  beautiful, 
glowing  with  life  and  contemporaneous  interest,  and,  above  all, 
quick  with  the  memory  of  her  glorious  past?  One  writes  of  her 
in  despair  of  giving  more  than  a  bald  sketch  of  the  character  and 
attributes  that  endear  her  to  all  mankind.  Richly — lavishly! — she 
returns  love  for  love,  and  they  who  most  tax  her  find  her  the 
most  inexhaustible,  ever  giving,  ever  repaying,  with  boundless 
interest,  the  affection  of  her  children  of  the  entire  world. 

The  compulsion  of  Italy  is  based  upon  the  deep,  pervasive 
humanity  of  soul  she  shares  with  no  other  in  degree  and  with 
but  few  in  kind.  That  humanity,  with  its  essential  heights  and 
depths  of  spirituality  and  grossness,  glows  in  the  grandest  art 
the  world  has  ever  seen  and  been  inspired  by;  it  pulsates  lustily 
in  literature  that  to  this  day  is  the  envy  and  despair  of  man- 
kind; it  dominates  us  who  still  live  in  the  closing  era  of  the 
Renaissance  that  only  the  splendid  individualism  and  genius 
of  the  lustrous  Florentines  could  make  possible. 

Italy  is  not  of  the  Italians;  she  is  of  the  world.  We  are  all 
her  children,  and  some  of  the  most  sublime  lessons  life  has  to 
teach  us  have  been  learned  of  her  wisdom  and  accumulated  ex- 
perience. 

— Arthur  Stanley  Riggs, 

The  National  Geographic  Magazine,  October,  1916. 


II 

ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY 

Italy  is  a  country  of  striking  contrasts.  There  is  great 
refinement  and  intelligent  love  of  beauty  at  one  extreme  and 
life  only  a  little  better  than  that  of  animals  at  the  other. 
There  are  the  highly  educated  and  the  grossly  ignorant, 
rampant  rationalism  and  crudest  superstition,  numberless 
churches  with  an  army  of  clerics  opposed  to  the  greatest  in- 
difference to  religion  in  Europe,  the  churches  not  being 
nearly  as  well  attended  as  in  France.  In  north  Italy  we 
find  some  of  the  most  modern  agricultural  implements,  in 
the  south,  the  most  primitive,  as  the  wooden  plow  and  the 
mattock.  Great  wealth  and  luxury  live  in  sight  of  woful 
poverty.  Italy  possesses  no  less  than  twenty-one  universities, 
turning  out  highly  educated  men,  while  in  the  south  her 
primary  schools  are  fifty  years  behind  the  times  and  forty- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  peasantry  cannot  read  or  write.  The 
finest  idealism  and  devotion  to  duty  are  contrasted  with 
indifference  and  low  moral  tone.  "In  no  country  in  Europe," 
says  Professor  Villari,  "are  local  differences  so  marked  as  in 
Italy."  1  The  provinces  are  unlike  in  everything,  except  the 
fact  that  they  are  different.  Let  writers  on  social  subjects 
ponder  this  fact  and  they  will  make  no  more  sweeping  asser- 
tions about  Italians  in  America. 

Dialects  are  a  great  factor  in  maintaining  these  local 
differences.  Each  locality  has  its  own  peculiar  vernacular, 
and  so  marked  is  the  difference  between  the  Piedmontese 
and  the  Neapolitans,  that  even  a  foreigner  cannot  fail  to 

1Luigi  Villari,  Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country,  page  2. 


42  SONS  OF  ITALY 

notice  it,  and  a  Venetian  may  not  well  understand  a  Sicilian. 
The  local  dialect  is  not  only  used  by  the  peasantry  but  also 
in  family  life  by  the  middle  class  and  the  aristocracy.  Among 
the  upper  class  in  Tuscany  and  in  Rome,  however,  "good 
Italian"  is  usually  spoken.  In  the  rest  of  Italy,  literary 
Italian  is  known  by  all  educated  people  but  is  not  generally 
used  in  ordinary,  conversation.  People  love  to  use  their 
native  dialects  so  much  that  in  order  to  preserve  them,  books 
and  newspapers  are  published  in  dialect. 

Another  reason  for  these  regional  differences  is  the  fact 
that  Rome,  Venice,  Florence,  and  Naples  existed  for  so  many 
years  as  independent  states,  making  history,  climate,  and  the 
geographical  isolation  of  the  middle  ages  responsible  for  the 
differences  in  manners  and  customs  that  still  persist. 

CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 
Aristocracy 

In  Italy,  the  term  aristocrazia  is  applied  not  only  to  people 
of  noble  birth,  but  also  to  those  who  move  in  good  society, 
government  officials,  wealthy  business  men,  bankers,  and  the 
most  honored  and  successful  professional  men,  who  fre- 
quently have  titles  conferred  on  them  by  the  king  in  recog- 
nition of  some  valuable  service  rendered.  Not  only  the 
eldest  child  bears  the  father's  title,  but  all  the  children  have 
this  right;  hence  titled  people  in  Italy  are  numerous.  In  the 
little  rural  towns  these  signori  are  important  and  respected 
personages  on  account  of  their  historic  descent,  even  if  poor, 
but  in  the  cities  they  are  not  so  regarded  unless  they  also 
possess  wealth. 

The  aristocracy  is  really  divided  into  two  classes,  the  old 
feudal  aristocracy  of  birth,  whose  principal  wealth  is  in  ter- 
ritorial possessions,  and  the  newer  citizen  aristocracy  of  the 
cities. 

Lombardy.  The  nobles  of  Lombardy  are  progressive  and 
by  their  enthusiastic  leadership  in  the  new  industrial  life  of 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  43 

Italy,  have  become  not  only  the  richest  nobles  of  the  country, 
but  have  made  Milan  and  Genoa  seem  like  bustling  Ameri- 
can cities,  rather  than  places  of  a  great  historic  past.  Those 
competent  to  judge  predict  that  Genoa  is  destined  to  become 
the  greatest  shipbuilding  and  commercial  port  on  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

Tuscany.  The  Florentines  are  fond  of  country  life,  and 
who  would  not  be  in  that  garden  spot  of  Italy,  Tuscany? 
They  spend  much  time  on  their  estates  in  the  country,  living 
a  care-free  outdoor  life.  The  town  house  in  Florence  is  the 
family  headquarters  and  there  are  kept  the  family  heirlooms 
and  paintings.  The  Florentines  of  good  family  are  easy- 
going and  self-satisfied.  In  contrast  to  the  more  hustling 
northern  nobility,  who  read,  travel,  and  entertain  exten- 
sively, the  Tuscans  travel  little  and  read  little  foreign  litera- 
ture. They  make,  however,  the  best  landlords  in  Italy  and 
are  on  excellent  terms  with  the  peasantry,  since  they  live 
among  them  such  a  large  part  of  the  year.  "The  Tuscan 
contadino  (peasant)  has  little  of  the  feeling  of  hostility  .  .  . 
which  in  the  north  helps  to  swell  the  ranks  of  socialism  and 
finds  vent  in  brigandage  or  outbursts  of  savagery  in  the 
south."  1 

Central  Italy  and  the  South.  Few  nobles  south  of  Tus- 
cany have  large  incomes,  though  In  Rome  there  are  still  very 
many  old  families,  descendants  of  names  famous  during  the 
middle  ages  and  Renaissance.  Most  of  these  are  related  to 
the  papacy,  past  or  present.  Emperor  William  of  Germany, 
when  entertained  in  Rome,  was  amazed  at  the  luxury  and 
splendor  of  the  palazzi  and  the  gold  plate  that  was  used. 
But  in  general,  the  nobility  of  this  region  must  get  along 
on  slender  means.  They  seldom  visit  their  estates  and  leave 
their  management  to  superintendents  who  wring  as  much 
from  the  peasants  as  possible.  These  absentee  landlords  are 
"feudal  and  unprogressive,  stingy  and  overbearing  with  the 
peasants.  On  their  estates  they  exercise  old  feudal  rights 
1Villari,  Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country,  page  27. 


44  SONS  OF  ITALY 

in  spite  of  laws."  They  are  uninterested  in  their  property, 
except  as  a  source  of  revenue,  and  make  no  improvements. 
Their  sons  spend  their  time  in  gay  life  in  Rome  and  Naples, 
are  too  proud  to  work,  look  forward  to  a  rich  marriage,  or 
a  further  mortgage  of  their  estates  to  assure  the  continuance 
of  a  life  of  ease.  It  seldom  occurs  to  them  to  enter  business. 
The  only  other  professions  young  men  of  good  birth  care 
to  enter  are  the  army,  navy,  or  government  service  of  the 
diplomatic  corps.  "Yet,  among  these  selfish,  unprogressive 
southern  nobles  are  found  men  of  high  character  and  genuine 
zeal  for  the  public  good.  The  Marquis  de  Rudini,  Signor 
Giolitti,  and  Signor  Salandra  have  distinguished  themselves 
in  public  service."  1 

Professor  Villari  further  says:  "The  great  fault  of  the 
Italian  upper  class  is  its  contempt  for  work  outside  of  the 
army  or  navy,  or  looking  after  landed  property.  The  youth, 
often  with  fine  instincts,  would  be  useful  elements  if  only 
betfer  brought  up.  They  are  mostly  sent  to  priestly  colleges 
or  have  priestly  tutors  at  home.  They  spend  their  time  at 
balls,  hunting,  traveling  about  Europe,  wear  London-made 
clothes,  and  indulge  in  sporty  tastes,  card-games,  and  horse- 
racing.  The  true  old-fashioned  Italian  aristocrats  live  in 
cold,  cheerless,  run-down  old  palaces  in  the  country,  dress 
shabbily,  live  frugally,  yet  have  irreproachable  manners."  2 
Fare  il  signore,  "to  play  the  gentleman,"  has  become  the 
ideal  of  the  peasant  immigrant  who  slaves  in  America  will- 
ingly to  save  sufficient  money  to  return  home  and  live  a  life 
of  ease  without  work. 


MIDDLE  CLASSES 
The  Civil  Class 

There  is  no  middle  class  in  southern  Italy,  and  that  of 
central  and  northern  Italy  is  always  fixed  and  stationary,  but 

1  Villari,  Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country,  pages  27,  28. 

2  Ibid.,  page  31. 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  45 

it  is  the  most  highly  educated  and  important  factor  in  mod- 
ern Italy.  The  middle-class  people  of  the  cities  monopolize 
the  professions  of  law,  medicine,  trade,  civil  service,  and 
teaching,  and  often  fill  Important  army,  navy,  or  diplomatic 
posts.  They  are  in  government  positions  and  really  form  the 
governing  class  of  the  country.  Their  youth  throng  the 
twenty-one  universities  of  Italy.  More  students  choose  the 
law  than  any  other  profession.  Italian  lawyers  are  usually 
hard-working,  honest  men,  loyal  to  their  clients,  averaging 
small  incomes,  unless  they  get  into  the  Chamber  of  Dep- 
uties, when  they  may  charge  large  fees. 

Professional 

Medicine  is  the  profession  of  highest  respectability.  Medi- 
cal instruction  is  for  the  most  part  inadequate,  and  if  a 
man  becomes  expert  it  is  largely  because  of  his  own  private 
study  and  hard  work.  To  the  credit  of  the  Italian  medical 
profession,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  in  spite  of  poor 
pay,  Italian  doctors  are  quite  faithful  and  skilful,  and  many 
are  famous  surgeons.  An  Italian  doctor  is  usually  ready  to 
discuss  religion  or  politics  with  his  patients,  two  subjects 
our  doctors  consider  tabooed. 

The  lower  middle  class  or  artigiani  (artisans)  is  com- 
posed of  small  tradesmen,  shoemakers,  tailors,  bakers,  car- 
penters. Such  a  one  never  aspires  to  become  a  noble.  Al- 
though of  better  education  than  a  cafone,  his  tastes  are  un- 
educated, and  his  home  is  rilled  with  plush  furniture,  highly 
colored  and  gaudy  pictures,  or  prints  and  crocheted  tidies 
and  spreads.  This  class  furnishes  the  labor  agitators  and 
strike-breakers  both  here  and  in  Italy. 

Military 

The  army  as  a  profession  attracts  many  men  of  noble 
birth  who  are  capable  of  intense  devotion  to  an  ideal,  men 
of  fine  spirit,  as  it  is  a  life  of  great  self-sacrifice.  As  a  class, 
the  officers  of  the  Italian  army  are  a  splendid  body  of  men, 


46  SONS  OF  ITALY 

physically  well  set  up,  brilliant,  resourceful,  and  fearless  in 
action,  loved  by  the  men  they  command  and  whose  life  they 
share.  An  Italian  officer  knows  his  men  by  name  and 
fraternizes  with  them  without  loss  of  dignity.  The  govern- 
ment sees  to  it  that  the  prestige  of  the  army  officer  is  main- 
tained. He  cannot  marry  unless  his  bride  is  of  a  family  of 
social  rank  and  possessed  of  a  dowry  relative  to  the  grade 
of  the  officer. 

The  government  maintains  three  principal  army  schools: 
La  Scuola  di  Modena}  for  men  of  previously  good  educa- 
tion, covering  a  three  years'  course;  La  Scuola  di  Torino, 
attended  by  men  of  wealth  and  position  who  seek  rapid  pro- 
motion to  the  General  Staff;  and  La  Scuola  di  Pinerolo, 
where  the  cavalry  leaders  are  trained. 

The  uniforms  of  the  different  branches  of  the  Italian 
army  are  among  the  most  striking  and  picturesque  in  Europe. 
The  Bersaglieri  wear  a  close-fitting  jacket  and  a  jaunty 
round  hat  with  a  coque  or  plume.  They  always  march  at  a 
jog-trot  and  cover  more  ground  in  a  given  time  than  any 
other  soldiers  in  Europe,  The  Alpini  wear  a  single  pheasant 
feather  in  the  hatband.  These  men  can  climb  up  a  steep 
precipice,  shooting  as  they  go,  and  the  members  of  the  bicycle 
corps  sling  their  machines  on  their  shoulders  while  they 
climb.  It  is  generally  recognized  that  the  Italian  cavalry  is 
trained  to  a  high  state  of  efficiency,  executing  daring  feats 
which  seem  well-nigh  impossible  to  those  who  have  not 
seen  them.  Who  that  has  been  in  Italy  does  not  recall  the 
vivid  appeal  to  the  imagination  made  by  groups  of  officers 
encountered  on  the  Corso  or  Via  Nazionalef  Their  long 
blue  cloaks  slung  gracefully  over  their  left  shoulders,  yet 
with  such  precision -that  the  folds  of  each  hang  alike,  show- 
ing a  touch  of  the  scarlet  lining — are  they  not  true  descen- 
dants of  toga-wearing  ancestors? 

The  government  provides  instruction  for  the  common 
soldiers  in  the  ranks  during  their  period  of  compulsory  mili- 
tary service.  So  excellent  is  the  schooling  that  some  Italians 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  47 

in  this  country  send  their  sons  or  young  relatives  back  for 
military  service,  to  obtain  the  education  furnished  the 
soldiers. 

The  government  also  constantly  moves  bodies  of  soldiers 
from  one  part  of  the  country  to  another.  Thus  youths  from 
the  Calabrian  hills  and  the  Sicilian  mountains  have  an  op- 
portunity to  see  Rome,  Florence,  and  Venice,  while  young 
men  from  the  cities  are  enabled  to  see  country  life  in  the 
various  provinces.  This  has  the  effect  of  enlarging  their 
horizon,  creating  a  sympathetic  understanding  of  one  part  of 
the  country  by  another,  and  intensifying  the  growing  spirit 
of  national  unity.  The  Italian  army  is  well-trained,  well- 
fed,  and  well-equipped  with  the  most  modern  implements  of 
warfare. 

RELIGIOUS  CLASSES 
Clergy 

The  clergy  and  the  descendants  of  the  feudal  nobility  form 
the  two  large  classes  of  society  living  on  unearned  incomes. 
Since,  under  the  Bourbon  kings,  only  one  or  two  of  a  noble 
family  could  marry,  in  order  to  preserve  the  family  patri- 
mony, the  others  must  perforce  enter  convents  and  mon- 
asteries. There  is  still  a  large  group  of  the  clergy  who  come 
from  noble  families,  men  of  culture  and  fine  education,  but 
with  little  religion.  They  are  in  the  church  simply  as  an 
honorable  profession,  and  from  their  number  are  usually 
recruited  the  higher  clergy,  who  lead  the  life  of  princes  in 
fine  old  palaces,  with  rich  food  to  eat,  magnificent  clothes 
to  wear,  and  a  large  retinue  of  servants  to  wait  upon  them. 
To  this  day,  every  devout  Catholic  family  expects  to  have 
one  or  two  sons  trained  for  the  priesthood.  These  lads  enter 
the  collegia  at  the  age  of  ten  or  eleven  years,  before  they 
can  know  what  they  wish  to  become,  and,  remote  from  all 
touch  with  life,  study  Latin,  the  lives  of  the  saints  and 
early  fathers,  and  memorize  the  liturgy  of  the  church.  This 
is  the  education  of  thousands  of  Italian  priests.  Although 


48  SONS  OF  ITALY 

there  are  many  profound  thinkers  and  scholarly  men  among 
the  upper  clergy,  it  is  erroneous  to  suppose  that,  because  a 
man  has  spent  ten  or  twelve  years  in  a  seminary  for  priests, 
he  is  an  educated  man.  He  frequently  displays  the  greatest 
ignorance  of  the  Bible,  to  say  nothing  of  history,  literature, 
or  modern  science.  "The  style  of  teaching,"  says  a  Catholic 
writer,  "the  ordinary  conversation,  and  the  means  adopted  to 
train  the  minds  of  our  priests  are  all  charged  with  the  heavy 
superficiality  which  is  so  apparent  in  Italian  clerical  life." 
It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  many  of  these  seminarists 
who  have  spent  long  years  in  study,  with  the  intention  of 
becoming  priests,  when  they  are  called  upon  to  render  mili- 
tary service  and  so  come  in  contact  with  the  life  of  the  world, 
so  different  from  the  life  of  the  cloister,  change  their  minds 
about  clerical  life  and,  instead,  take  up  some  other  pro- 
fession, generally  completing  their  development  by  turning 
against  the  church.  Some  of  the  most  pronounced  unbe- 
lievers and  atheistic  propagandists  are  frank  to  admit  that  it 
was  their  experience  in  the  seminaries  which  has  led  them  to 
their  present  intellectual  and  religious  attitude. 

In  the  south  there  are  many  pious,  kind-hearted  priests 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  peasants  and  genuinely 
friendly  to  them,  but  they  are  ignorant  and  nearly  as  super- 
stitious as  the  people  to  whom  they  minister.  They  read 
very  little,  are  absolutely  out  of  touch  with  the  modern 
world,  and  are  sincerely  afraid  of  modern  science  or  social 
reforms. 

In  the  north  many  of  the  younger  clergy  have  a  high 
ideal  of  service  and  visit  the  poor  and  interest  themselves  in 
social  welfare,  but  the  majority  of  priests  are  lazy  and  in- 
different to  the  conditions  of  the  people,  social  reform,  or 
politics.  In  small  towns  it  is  not  unusual  to  find  the  priests 
in  cafes,  gaming,  drinking,  and  so  conducting  themselves  as 
to  enrage  the  people  by  their  immoral  living. 

Modernism.  In  the  universities  large  groups  of  the  young 
men  are  seriously  considering  social,  religious,  and  philosophi- 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  49 

cal  problems.  Bergson  was  well  known  and  appreciated  in 
Italy  while  he  was  yet  little  known  in  France  and  not  at  all 
in  England.  William.  James  was  translated  and  widely 
read  in  Italy  when  in  France  and  Germany  he  was  still 
known  only  to  specialists.  One  of  our  eminent  American 
thinkers  recently  told  me  he  considered  Benedetto  Croce,  a 
south  Italian,  the  greatest  living  philosopher  to-day.  The 
philosophical  papers  are  not  purely  speculative,  but  aim  to 
awaken  the  moral  consciousness  of  the  nation  and  purify 
national  life. 

Religion  is  always  a  popular  subject  of  discussion  among 
Italians.  The  modernists  have  revived  interest  in  its  study, 
and  aired  their  views  in  an  excellent  review,  //  Rinno- 
vamento.  Modernists  are  of  two  general  classes,  those  who 
see  that  heathen  rites  and  superstitions,  claims  of  infallibility 
for  any  human  institution,  as  well  as  the  robbing  of  the  poor 
and  the  inconsistent  lives  of  the  clergy  cannot  be  true  re- 
ligion, and  who  therefore  break  away  from  the  church,  tend 
to  become  atheists,  and  try  to  drive  out  the  influence  of  the 
church  in  schools  or  politics.  The  other  group,  while  realiz- 
ing all  that  the  first  one  does,  seeks  to  purify  the  church  by 
reforming  it  from  within.  Such  was  Fogazzaro,  and  such 
was  the  meaning  of  his  //  Santo,  describing  the  holy  life  of 
self-sacrifice,  fidelity  to  vows,  and  devoted  service  to  all  in 
need.  His  book  was  placed  on  the  "Index."  Others  are 
Giorgio  Bartoli,  former  Jesuit  editor  of  the  Vatican  organ, 
La  Cimta  Cattolica,  Salvator  Minocchi,  and  Romulo  Murri, 
who  after  long  internal  struggles  resolved  to  be  true  to  con- 
viction and  abandoned  the  priesthood  to  dedicate  themselves 
to  social  regeneration  in  politics  and  education.  One  result 
of  the  spread  of  modernism  and  also  of  the  Protestant  propa- 
ganda which  has  proved  an  ally  of  modernism,  was  the 
presentation  to  the  pope  a  few  years  ago  of  a  petition  signed 
by  5,000  priests,  asking  to  be  released  from  the  vow  of 
celibacy. 


50  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Higher  Ecclesiastics 

The  higher  clergy  of  the  church  are  usually  members  of 
the  Roman  curia  and  noble  clerical  houses  related  to  the 
papacy  for  centuries.  The  members  of  their  group  are  in 
politics  with  the  avowed  aim  of  reestablishing  the  temporal 
power  of  the  pope  through  foreign  interventions  or  by  revo- 
lutions at  home.  Their  main  support  comes  from  Catholics 
outside  of  Italy.  This  group  pays  little  attention  to  more 
than  the  formalities  of  religion,  its  chief  interest  being  polit- 
ical. 

Devout  Catholics 

There  are  many  examples  of  devout  living  in  Italy. 
Fogazzaro  is  an  example  of  a  sweet  spiritual  nature  striving 
to  make  Christianity  a  moral  force  in  the  lives  of  people. 
Many  ladies  devote  themselves  in  an  unselfish  spirit  to 
charitable  enterprises.  These  people  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  political  aims  of  the  Vatican,  and  discountenance  its 
absurd  claims.  There  are  also  those  who  devoutly  believe 
in  the  miracles  and  mysteries  of  the  church,  in  fact,  in  every- 
thing the  priests  tell  them,  and  they  are  superstitious  to  an 
inconceivable  degree.  They  provide  the  degrading,  pitiable 
scenes  all  travelers  have  witnessed,  climbing  sacred  stairs  on 
their  knees,  kissing  each  step,  and  kissing  the  feet  of  images. 

Freethinkers 

This  class  comprises  the  majority  of  the  upper  classes  and 
people  of  culture,  who  call  themselves  freethinkers.  They 
are  engaged  in  public  service  and  business,  and  are  active  in 
literature  and  the  professions  of  the  bar,  medicine,  and  teach- 
ing. The  universities  are  filled  with  atheists  or  those  who 
are  indifferent  to  religion.  Hundreds  of  the  students  have 
never  opened  a  Bible  or  even  heard  of  the  life  of  our  Lord 
or  the  heroes  of  the  Protestant  church,  like  Luther  and  Cal- 
vin. Needless  to  say,  they  are  strongly  anti-Catholic,  and 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  51 

show  their  hostility  on  such  occasions  as  the  demonstration 
in  commemoration  of  Giordano  Bruno,  who  was  burned  at 
the  stake  for  advocating  freedom  of  conscience.  At  these 
demonstrations  thousands  of  free  masons,  socialists,  an- 
archists, university  students,  and  various  labor  organizations 
take  part  in  processions  all  over  the  kingdom. 

In  1913  when,  under  the  Giolitti  ministry,  universal  man- 
hood suffrage  was  granted,  the  papacy  decided  to  relax  its 
ban  forbidding  the  faithful  to  vote,  and  even  presented  its 
own  candidates.  The  increase  in  votes  was  of  course  from 
the  illiterate  peasant  class,  who  could  supposedly  be  influ- 
enced by  the  priests;  still,  out  of  508  Catholic  candidates 
for  Parliament,  only  thirty  were  elected,  which  was  a  bitter 
disappointment  to  the  papacy'. 


PEASANTRY 

Contadini 

Among  the  peasantry  of  Italy  there  is  as  great  a  diversity 
as  among  the  nobility.  Past  differences  of  government, 
present  differences  of  climate,  of  land  systems,  and  also  of 
race  elements,  have  created  a  great  variety  of  farm  laborers 
whose  homes,  food,  social  customs,  holiday  dress,  and  educa- 
tion are  vastly  different  in  different  regions. 

In  the  north,  especially  in  the  valle  dJ  Aosta,  the  peasants 
usually  own  their  land,  have  comfortable  homes,  and  live 
well  on  bread,  meat,  wine,  and  vegetables.  These  men  are 
fairly  well  educated,  take  part  in  political  life  as  ardent 
liberals,  and  are  usually  Protestant  or  freethinkers  in  re- 
ligion. 

The  peasants,  under  the  shrewd,  businesslike  Lombard 
nobles,  are  often  well  educated,  but  their  class  sympathies 
are  excited  by  the  superior  attitude  of  their  employers,  and 
by  the  wide  social  gulf  which  the  nobles  create  between  them- 
selves and  their  men.  Rampant  socialism  is  stirring  these 
men  to  class  action,  for  they  feel  they  owe  little  to  an  un- 


52  SONS  OF  ITALY 

democratic  social  order.  Most  of  the  strikes  and  labor 
disturbances  are  in  these  northern  provinces.  The  Venetian 
peasant  is  ill-paid,  overworked,  and  wretchedly  housed,  and 
is  illiterate  and  superstitious. 

The  Tuscan  farmers  of  the  old  Florentine  families  who 
spend  so  much  time  on  their  estates  lead  quiet  uneventful 
lives,  seldom  very  well-to-do,  seldom  very  poor,  but  always 
hard-working  and  usually  joyous  and  sunny  as  the  day  is 
long.  Content  with  their  lot,  they  are  indifferent  both  to 
religion  and  politics. 

Then  "there  are  the  shepherds  of  the  mountain  villages  of 
the  Roman  Campagna,  masters  of  mighty  flocks,  but  living 
on  black  bread  and  water,  leading  a  nomad  life  on  the  low- 
lands in  winter,  the  uplands  in  summer."  They  wear  goat- 
skins for  protection  against  the  cold,  as  in  the  time  of  Horace. 
An  ineffaceable  memory  it  is  to  open  the  wooden  shutters  of 
a  stone  palazzo  in  Forano  and  look  over  across  the  marshes 
at  old  snow-crowned  Soracte  reddening  in  the  sunrise,  and 
then  just  below  the  window  to  watch  an  Italian  shepherd, 
clad  in  goatskin  trousers,  thick  cape,  and  slouch  hat,  with  a 
long  staff  in  his  hand,  followed  by  a  shaggy  black  dog,  come 
slowly  up  the  mountain  path.  He  is  bringing  some  goat's 
milk  cheese. 

Near  Naples  the  peasants  do  extensive  market  gardening 
and  come  into  the  city  in  the  early  morning  cracking  their 
long  whips  and  urging  their  donkeys  with  a  long-drawn 
"A-a-a-a-a-h !"  The  two-wheel  carts  are  piled  high  with 
cauliflower  or  tomatoes  and  perhaps  lemons  and  oranges  too. 
These  people  are  industrious  and  thrifty  and  by  sheer  hard 
work  they  make  their  terraced  gardens  into  marvels  of  fer- 
tility. But  they  are  illiterate,  rent-racked,  and  meek  before 
their  haughty  landlords. 

The  famous  Amalfi-Sorrento  roadway  skirts  the  blue  sea 
at  the  base  of  mountain  cliffs  which  are  terraced  and  culti- 
vated from  top  to  bottom.  Every  inch  is  utilized,  irregular 
stone  fences  marking  the  boundaries.  On  one  terrace  are 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  53 

almond  trees,  on  the  next,  orange  or  lemon  trees,  perhaps 
the  others  are  planted  with  vines  quaintly  festooned  in  long 
loops  from  pole  to  pole,  then  a  garden  of  vegetables,  more 
trees,  and  more  vines.  ""Indeed  the  first  glimpse  of  Italian 
land  cultivation  should  be  sufficient  to  dispel  all  the  super- 
stitions which  some  people  seem  to  have  been  at  great  pains 
to  instil  into  the  popular  mind  about  the  down-right  laziness 
of  the  Italian.  Tfie  dolce  far  niente  (sweet  do-nothing) 
libel,  originally  meant  only  for  the  street  gamins  of  Naples, 
but  thoughtlessly  applied  to  all,  is  an  outrageous  accusation 
against  one  of  the  most  painstaking  and  industrious  people 
of  the  world."  x 

The  southern  peasant  is  also  good-natured  and  hard- 
working. At  harvest  time  he  frequently  works  sixteen  hours 
a  day.  In  most  cases  he  does  not  live  on  the  land  any  more 
than  his  absentee  landlord.  In  old  feudal  days,  the  inhabi- 
tants built  their  homes  in  towns,  on  mountaintops,  clustering 
about  the  lordly  castle  for  protection.  The  peasants  still 
live  in  these  century-old  stone  huts,  dirty  and  unsanitary, 
frequently  shared  by  the  family  chickens,  pig,  and  donkey. 
The  only  reason  he  survives  such  unwholesome  conditions  is 
because  all  of  his  working  life  is  spent  in  the  open  air,  toil- 
ing on  the  fields  in  the  lowlands.  He  may  be  as  crowded 
in  his  one-room  stone  hut  as  he  later  will  be  in  a  New  York 
tenement,  but  the  group  is  strictly  a  family  one,  even  includ- 
ing the  animals,  while  in  a  New  York  tenement  morality  is 
menaced  by  boarders,  and  health  by  indoor  life  asleep  or  at 
work.  Though  heavy  and  hard,  this  outdoor  work  makes 
the  southern  contadino  sturdy  and  long-lived.  Generations 
of  burden-bearing  have  developed  broad  backs  and  strong, 
thick-set  necks  and  bodies.  Meat  is  not  a  regular  article  of 
diet,  perhaps  only  at  New  Year  or  other  holidays.  Black 
bread,  made  of  rye  or  chestnut  flour,  and  vegetables,  made 
palatable  with  a  little  light  wine  when  he  can  get  it,  com- 
prise the  peasant's  daily  fare.  He  used  to  work  for  fifteen 

1  Charles  Lapworth,  Tripoli  and  'Young  Italy,  page  241. 


54  SONS  OF  ITALY 

or  twenty  cents  a  day,  but  since  emigration  to  America  has 
lessened  the  supply  of  laborers,  his  wages  have  risen  to  sixty 
or  even  eighty  cents  a  day.  This  southern  contadino  is 
patient,  honest,  thrifty,  usually  pious  though  superstitious, 
and  light-hearted  in  spite  of  his  extreme  poverty.  When  he 
comes  to  America  he  is  open-minded  and  ready  to  learn, 
forming  most  promising  material  for  future  citizenship,  pro- 
vided he  falls  in  with  people  who  lead  him  wisely.  Thou- 
sands of  Italian  contadini  and  even  artigiani  all  over  Italy 
suffer  from  lack  of  sufficient  food,  and  in  the  winter  eat  two 
meals  a  day  and  sometimes  only  one. 

RACE  ELEMENTS 

"The  history  of  Italy  has  been  the  history  of  barbarian 
conquerors,  foreign  dynasties,  princely  and  papal  usurpations, 
petty  states,  and,  above  all,  interminable  feuds.  Its  sole 
characteristic  has  been  disunion,  which,  although  it  has 
tended  to  produce  individual  men  unsurpassed  in  personal 
attainments,  has  at  the  same  time  made  Italian  history  inter- 
esting solely  on  account  of  its  diversity  and  unstudied  except 
for  the  sake  of  its  great  men."  1 

Pushing  an  investigation  back  to  the  early  race  settle- 
ments in  Italy,  we  find  two  main  aboriginal  elements,  the 
Celts  mixed  with  low  Germanic  in  the  north  and  the  Pelas- 
gian,  exactly  the  same  race  stock  as  peopled  early  Greece, 
in  central  and  south  Italy.  The  Pelasgians  lived  on  the 
seacoast  of  Asia  Minor  and  were  an  adventurous,  sea-faring, 
colonizing  folk.  They  invented  what  in  its  modified  form  is 
now  our  modern  alphabet  and  had  perfected,  even  in  those 
early  days,  certain  industrial  arts  such  as  weaving,  dying  of 
cloth,  and  painting.  These  Pelasgians,  combined  with  the 
Sabines,  Umbrians,  and  Germanic  tribes,  and  later  what 
seems  to  have  been  a  Gothic  or  Norse  tribe,  the  Etruscan, 

1  Quoted  from  Cottrell  by  J.  W.  Donaldson  in  A  Critical  Study 
of  Latin  Language. 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY 


55 


ITALY 

showing 

Emigration  *>**« 
United  States 
^Provinces 

in. 

1010 


56  SONS  OF  ITALY 

united  to  form  the  Latin  race  of  Roman  history,  but  it  was 
to  this  Pelasgic  element  that  Rome  owed  most  of  the  glory 
of  her  ancient  civilization. 

The  Greek  colonies  in  the  south  and  the  Lombard  and 
other  Germanic  invasions  in  the  north  simply  renewed  ele- 
ments already  in  the  Latin  race.  During  the  first  half  of 
the  eleventh  century  the  Normans  mastered  Naples,  Calabria, 
and  Sicily,  and  evidences  of  this  infusion  of  blood  are  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  blue-eyed,  fair-skinned,  yellow-  or  even  red- 
haired  Italians  of  tall,  stalwart  frame  from  Calabria  and 
even  Sicily.  "The  two  Sicilies,  Sicily  and  Naples,  were  ruled 
in  the  thirteenth  century  by  Frederick  and  his  devoted  Sara- 
cens. The  Pisans  defeated  the  Saracens  and  drove  them  out 
of  Calabria,  so  it  is  in  Sicily  that  we  find  relics  of  the  Moors, 
such  as  the  Byzantine  mosaics  of  Monreale,  the  oriental  lux- 
ury of  the  royal  palace,  the  Moorish  fountain  in  the  cloister, 
and  perhaps  the  picturesque  hooded  cloaks  worn  by  the 
Sicilian  men,  while  among  the  people  themselves  the  dark 
skin,  black  eyes,  and  glossy  curls  show  this  mixture  of 
race."  * 

To  summarize  the  race  elements : 

Piedmont.  Aboriginal  Celt  and  Germanic;  later  French 
blood. 

Lombardy.     Aboriginal  German;  later  German. 

Tuscany.  Aboriginal  Gothic  or  Norse;  later  assimilated 
with  Pelasgic,  and  merged  into  Latin  people. 

Central  and  Southern  Italy.  Pelasgic ;  later  Greek,  Latin, 
and  Norman,  also  Albanian  on  the  eastern  coast. 

Sicily.  Pelasgic;  later  Spanish,  Saracen,  Norman,  Arab, 
and  Greek. 

As  a  result  of  this  mixture  of  race  elements,  Italy  has  the 
most  complex  and  diverse  psychology  of  any  country  in  the 
world. 

"But,"  says  Professor  Villari,  "the  racial  element  is  of 
much  less  importance  than  is  generally  supposed.  The 

1  Villari,  Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country. 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  57 

geographical  conditions  of  mountains  and  poor  land  in  the 
south  and  fertile  plains  in  the  north  are  responsible  for  the 
economic  and  social  differences  between  north  and  south, 
and  as  a  corollary,  fof  governmental  and  educational  dif- 
ferences." 1 

PRESENT-DAY  ITALY 

"When  in  1861  the  kingdom  of  Italy  was  proclaimed,  an 
arduous  task  devolved  upon  the  young  state.  Everything 
was  wanting — schools,  army,  navy,  railways,  and  ports.  All 
that  other  nations  had  done  in  the  long  sequence  of  centuries 
had  to  be  accomplished  in  a  few  years.  An  enormous  public 
debt  contracted  during  the  Wars  of  Independence,  a  deficit 
in  the  revenue,  and  immense  expenses  had  to  be  faced  in 
order  to  reach  the  level  of  other  nations."  2  No  other  nation, 
having  to  face  such  obstacles,  has  attained  a  corresponding 
progress.  The  fiber  of  the  Italian  character  has  not  been 
weak.  The  world  has  been  greatly  surprised  to  find  that 
instead  of  the  traditionally  poverty-stricken  Italy,  the  nation 
has  a  sound  financial  basis."  She  had  money  to  pay  for  her 
war  with  Tripoli,  and  in  spite  of  that  great  drain,  has  been 
able  to  join  the  present  conflict,  furnishing  her  army  with 
ample  modern  supplies.  The  country's  revenue  in  1912  was 
about  $15,000,000  in  excess  of  her  expenditures. 

The  Italians  take  great  pride  in  their  united  country. 
When  in  1900  King  Humbert,  the  father  of  the  present  king 
of  Italy,  was  shot,  and  his  son  took  the  throne,  the  latter 
made  an  address  before  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  (corre- 
sponding to  the  English  House  of  Commons).  During  his 
address  he  used  a  phrase  which  had  been  coined  by  his  father 
years  before,  and  which  thrilled  the  Italian  people,  Roma 
Intangib'de,  "Rome,  which  must  not  be  touched."  This 
phrase  came  with  a  special  force  at  that  time,  since  the  ever 
present  question  of  papal  return  to  temporal  power  was 

'Villari,  Italian  Life  in  To<wn  and  Country. 

3  From  a  public  speech  of  the  Marquis  di  San  Giuliano. 


S8  SONS  OF  ITALY 

being  rediscussed.  The  union  of  Italy  is  geographically  and 
governmen tally  a  fact.  The  union  of  thought  and  coopera- 
tion comes  more  slowly,  yet  much  toward  this  has  been  ac- 
complished during  the  last  ten  years.  The  north  Italian 
has  always  affected  to  despise  the  southerners  and  insisted 
that  there  was  nothing  in  common  between  them.  In  his 
Memoirs,  Massimo  D'Azeglio  wrote:  "We  have  made 
Italy:  we  must  now  make  the  Italians."  To  this  work  of 
real  unification,  the  government  has  set  its  hand  along  with 
its  other  problems. 

POLITICAL  ITALY 

Italian  politics  is  not  a  two-  or  even  three-party  affair. 
True  to  the  individualistic  tendencies  of  Italians,  there  are 
a  dozen  or  more  parties,  liberals  of  all  shades,  republicans, 
socialists,  liberal-conservatives,  and  the  anti-Catholic  and 
clerical  groups.  It  is  significant  of  the  growing  nationalism 
and  the  true  spirit  of  democracy  in  Italy — for  outside  of  a 
few  old  reactionary  families,  who  side  with  the  pope,  the 
mass  of  the  Italians  from  king  down  are  democratic — that 
no  political  party  has  ever  been  formed  on  geographical 
lines,  as  Venice  or  Milan  against  the  south.  The  parties 
take  their  issues  on  national  questions  affecting  the  welfare 
of  the  entire  country. 

The  present  king,  Victor  Emmanuel,  was  brought  up  with 
strict  and  severe  views  of  duty.  He  entered  the  infantry, 
the  most  democratic  branch  of  the  army,  and  his  young  son, 
Prince  Humbert,  instead  of  wearing  a  naval  uniform,  like 
English  and  German  princes,  frequently  wears  the  plain 
every-day  garb  of  Italian  boy  scouts.  His  father  has  even 
permitted  him  to  visit  the  first-line  trenches,  and  the  risks 
his  Majesty  himself  has  run  when  inspecting  the  fighting 
lines  are  well  known  through  the  press  despatches.  When 
told  it  was  exceedingly  dangerous  to  visit  a  certain  part  of 
the  front,  the  king  quietly  replied,  "I  wish  to  share  danger 
with  our  brave  men."  He  has  declared  ."hat  he  would  not 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  59 

go  back  to  Rome  from  the  battle-front  until  the  war  is  over. 

The  king  uses  little  pomp  or  display  at  Rome  but  applies 
himself  seriously  to  the  enormous  problems  of  his  country. 
He  has  been  greatly  assisted  in  his  policy  of  work  by  Queen 
Elena,  a  model  housewife  and  mother.  In  politics,  the  king 
is  liberal,  and  has  succeeded  in  imparting  his  enthusiasm  for 
efficiency  to  his  ministry.  He  used  to  make  surprise  visits 
to  government  schools,  army  barracks,  and  hospitals,  so  that 
their  directors  kept  their  work  at  its  best,  not  knowing  when 
the  royal  critic  might  appear. 

The  liberal  Giolitti  ministry  which  the  king  put  into 
power,  although  slightly  anticlerical  and  antisocialistic, 
enacted  such  a  socialistic  measure  as  state  control  of  life 
insurance.  There  is  comparatively  little  corruption  in  pol- 
itics. The  greater  number  of  Italian  political  leaders  are 
patriotic  statesmen,  righting  for  ideals,  and  are  not  in  politics 
to  make  money,  most  of  them  having  died  poor.  There  is 
much  less  corruption  than  in  other  countries,  and  so  great  is 
the  outcry  of  popular  condemnation,  and  so  ruthless  the 
punishment  of  any  who  are  in  the  slightest  degree  suspected 
of  wrongdoing,  that  many  innocent  men  have  suffered. 

INTELLECTUAL  LIFE 

While  it  is  estimated  that  there  are  about  7,000,000  illiter- 
ates in  Italy,  there  are  also  tens  of  thousands  of  highly  and 
broadly  educated  people.  Italian  ladies  and  gentlemen 
speak  French,  English,  Spanish,  and  even  German  fluently, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  and  in  an  Italian  drawing-room  one 
hears  the  latest  news  of  scientific  achievements  or  philosophic 
research.  There  is  a  decidedly  literary  atmosphere  at  social 
gatherings,  for  Italians  are  born  critics  and  delight  in  ab- 
stract discussions  of  philosophy,  art,  or  music.  Says  one  who 
has  lived  long  in  Italy :  "There  is  perhaps  no  other  country, 
not  even  Germany,  where  so  much  writing  is  put  out  by  the 
printing  press  as  in  Italy,  because  of  the  keen  mental  activity 


60  SONS  OF  ITALY 

of  Italians.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  printing  is 
cheap  and  partly  because  the  Italian  runs  easily  into  elegant 
verbal  expression  of  his  own  rapidly  conceived  and  redundant 
thought."  x 

Countless  newspapers  and  small  reviews  are  published, 
some  of  them  temporary,  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  some 
passing  theme  of  public  interest.  The  tone  of  newspapers 
is  high,  and  as  yet  there  is  no  yellow  journalism  in  Italy. 

EDUCATION 
Elementary  Schools 

United  Italy  adopted  the  German  model  for  her  national 
system  of  education.  Every  city  and  town  was  left  to  pro- 
vide and  control  its  own  educational  system.  The  cities  have 
done  their  tasks  fairly  well,  but  the  small  communes,  because 
of  their  poverty  and  isolation,  were  unfitted  to  understand  or 
undertake  real  educational  measures.  In  some  mountain 
districts  there  were  still  only  donkey  trails;  roads  were  not 
thought  necessary,  nor  was  education.  The  peasants  saw  no 
advantage  in  learning  to  read  and  write,  when  the  only 
occupation  open  to  them  was  working  the  fields  in  time- 
honored  fashion;  and  further,  the  officials,  tied  to  tradition, 
had  no  mind  to  cooperate  in  any  movement  which  would 
raise  the  standard  of  life  among  the  peasants.  The  Italian 
Secretary  of  Education  reports:  "The  communes  are  the 
bitterest  enemies  of  the  people's  schools.  Both  in  the  north 
as  well  as  in  the  south,  the  majority  of  the  men  who  ad- 
minister them  and  the  greater  part  of  the  well-to-do  hate 
and  oppose  popular  education,  for  they  see  in  it  a  leveling 
force  which  frightens  them,  and  cannot  brook  that  the 
peasants'  sons  sit  on  the  same  bench  as  their  own.  The 
richer  syndics  hardly  conceal  their  hostility  under  the  pre- 
text that  an  ignorant  working  man  is  more  submissive. 
And  in  many  instances  they  are  backed  by  the  priests,  who 

1Lapworth,  Tripoli  and  "Young  Italy,  page  264. 


A  CONTRAST  AXD  A  PROBLEM 
Out  of  Rural  Italy  into  Urban  America 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  61 

want  to  have  the  schools  in  their  own  hands,  and  care 
only  to  train  the  children  to  be  obedient  followers  of  them- 
selves and  enemies  of  Italian  unity."  All  this  is  changing. 
Under  the  recent  Sonnino  ministry  a  bill  was  drawn  up  by 
the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  compelling  communes 
to  provide  and  pay  for  schools,  willy-nilly.  The  social 
values  of  education  are  gradually  being  realized,  and  to 
stimulate  the  education  of  all  classes  the  government  has 
adopted  measures  for  feeding  the  school  children  of  the 
very  poor.  There  is  also  an  extension  library  movement 
to  provide  each  class  in  a  school  with  a  library  suited  to 
its  particular  needs.  Gymnasiums,  school  savings  banks, 
and  continuation  schools  have  likewise  been  established. 

In  July,  1912,  the  so-called  factory  laws  were  passed, 
prohibiting  the  employment  in  factories  of  either  boys  or 
girls  under  fifteen,  unless  they  have  passed  the  sixth  form. 
In  spite  of  all  these  measures,  however,  there  are  thousands 
of  illiterates.  Most  of  the  country  schools  are  crowded  into 
dingy  rooms  with  no  heat,  no  ventilation,  and  with  scanty 
equipment.  The  teachers  are  of  inferior  grade,  because  of 
low  pay.  In  a  mountain  town  in  Calabria,  I  found  a  man 
responsible  for  the  mental  development  of  sixty  boys  and 
girls,  who  received  only  $12  per  month.  He  wanted  to 
come  to  America. 

Higher  Education 

Beyond  the  elementary  school,  which  takes  the  children 
through  the  sixth  grade,  is  the  gimnasio,  which  corresponds 
to  our  high  school.  This  consists  of  a  five-year  course,  with 
examinations  at  the  end  of  the  third  and  the  fifth  years. 
Then  comes  the  liceo,  a  three-year  course  which  falls 
slightly  below  our  regular  American  college  course  in  re- 
spect to  subjects  taught. 

The  modern  university  had  its  rise  in  Italy.  The  Uni- 
versities of  Bologna  and  Naples  are  noted  for  their  medical 
education,  the  former  being  the  earliest  university  still  in 


62  SONS  OF  ITALY 

existence  to  be  established  anywhere  in  Europe,  having  been 
founded  in  the  eleventh  century.  Other  universities  that  are 
largely  attended  and  prominent  for  various  educational  and 
scientific  features  are  those  of  Turin,  Rome,  Pavia,  Genoa, 
and  Padua.  The  larger  universities,  such  as  Naples,  have 
enrolments  of  as  high  as  5,000  students.  Only  those  can 
enter  the  universities  who  have  passed  all  the  preceding 
courses,  elementary,  gimnasio,  and  liceo.  The  student  in 
medicine  must  submit  to  a  five-year  course  before  he  can 
secure  his  diploma,  law  requires  four  years,  and  engineering 
five.  There  are  also  many  technical  schools  wrhich  prepare 
men  for  special  occupations  without  the  study  of  the  classic 
languages,  but  they  must  learn  German,  French,  and  Eng- 
lish. 

All  schools  are  under  governmental  supervision.  If  pri- 
vate schools  desire  to  send  their  graduates  to  the  great  uni- 
versities, they  must  prepare  them  to  pass  the  state  examina- 
tions. 

Agricultural  Education 

Great  advances  are  being  made  yearly  in  scientific  and 
technical  work  in  Italian  'schools,  and  English  is  extensively 
taught  in  response  to  the  popular  demand  for  it.  The 
government,  finding  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  so  primitive 
and  behind  the  times,  has  set  about  giving  agricultural  educa- 
tion even  in  the  elementary  schools.  The  universities  of 
Rome  and  Bologna  have  special  faculties  of  agriculture, 
and  a  National  Experiment  Institute  is  located  at  Perugia. 
There  are  about  twenty-five  schools  of  practical  agriculture, 
and  the  government  offers  fifty  valuable  scholarships  to 
students  of  this  subject.  It  also  provides  the  salaries  of 
seventy  professors  who.  travel  from  district  to  district  giv- 
ing instruction  to  the  farmers  in  their  own  fields.  Recent 
years  have  seen  great  progress  in  methods  of  agriculture,  as 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  1910,  $3,017,104  worth  of  mod- 
ern agricultural  machinery  was  imported. 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  63 

PUBLIC  HEALTH  AND  WATER  SUPPLY 

In  the  good  old  days  of  papal  regime  no  such  informa- 
tion as  vital  statistics  was  deemed  necessary.  People  just 
died — of  what  or  why,  did  not  matter.  The  great  scourge 
of  the  country  was  malaria,  which  carried  off  thousands  of 
victims  yearly  and  made  great  stretches  of  needed  land 
untillable.  In  1900,  the  government  commenced  a  vigorous 
war  on  mosquitoes  and  created  government  control  of 
quinin,  compelling  employers  of  labor  to  give  it  free  to  their 
workers.  Eucalyptus  trees  were  also  planted  in  large  num- 
bers along  highways  and  beside  government  buildings.  The 
protection  of  doors  and  windows  by  screens  was  ordered 
by  law,  and  the  proportion  of  the  number  of  cases  to  the 
entire  population  was  reduced  from  fifty  to  four  per  cent. 
All  the  tourist  world  knows  the  ill  repute  of  Italy's  drink- 
ing water.  The  Italian  government  tackled  this  problem 
too,  and  now  one  may  safely  drink  delicious  mountain  spring 
water  in  Rome,  Naples,  or  almost  any  large  city  of  Italy. 

THE  ARTS 
Poetry  and  Drama 

Italian  novelists  and  poets  are  dominated  by  D'Annunzio's 
mighty  genius.  A  native  of  south  Italy,  accustomed  to 
sights  of  wo,  he  dwells  on  the  seamy  side  of  life  too  much, 
and  his  great  naturalistic  dramas,  like  "The  Dead  City," 
are  concepts  of  horror.  However,  he  is  the  people's  idol,  and 
he  it  was  who  stirred  them  to  wild  enthusiasm  by  his 
speeches  and  writings  during  the  war  with  Turkey  and  also 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  war.  He  is  the  leader  of  a 
group  of  young  poets  like  Roberto  Bracco,  who  turn  toward 
life  and  action  with  a  confident,  buoyant  hopefulness.  La 
V'wica,  a  monthly  magazine,  devoted  to  poetry,  is  full  of 
verse  glorifying  life  and  a  poetic  ideal  of  humanity.  Then 
there  are  the  great  dramatic  realists,  Giacosa  and  Butti, 


64  SONS  OF  ITALY 

with  their  stirring  indictments  of  society.  The  Italian  genius 
runs  more  to  short,  brilliant  tales,  plays,  and  poetry,  rather 
than  to  long,  heavy  works,  though  it  has  produced  many 
world-famous  historians  and  scientists,  like  Ferrero,  Villari, 
Lombroso,  Mosso,  Sergi,  and  a  host  of  others.  "It  would 
never  occur  to  an  Italian,  if  he  wanted  to  deal  with  some 
psychological  or  social  problem,  to  write  a  novel  about  it. 
Your  true  Italian  would  either  turn  to  poetry  or  else  dis- 
cuss his  subject  in  minute  detail  in  a  pamphlet  devoted  to 
it  without  love  frills  or  social  fringes.  He  breaks  into 
verse  as  spontaneously  as  a  bird  into  song."  x  Most  Italian 
youths  of  any  culture  dabble  to  some  extent  in  poetry.  I 
have  in  mind  now  four  young  men :  one,  who  is  at  work  in  a 
factory  in  New  Haven,  has  composed  verse  of  deep  religious 
feeling;  another  is  working  for  a  degree  at  Columbia  and 
writes  poetry  poignantly  beautiful  in  its  appeal  to  the  im- 
agination. The  other  two,  though  you  would  pass  them 
by  without  a  second  glance  because  of  their  shabby  clothes, 
know  as  much  as  an  expert  about  meter  and  style,  and  not 
only  compose,  but  have  memorized  hundreds  of  lines  and 
could  recite  for  hours  from  Dante,  Carducci,  Stecchetti 
D'Annunzio,  and  others.  It  is  the  natural  impulse  of  the 
Italians  to  write  poetry  when  deeply  stirred.  Every  bride 
has  a  poem  dedicated  to  her,  and  the  lover  writes  sonnets 
to  his  beloved  just  as  naturally  as  he  serenades  her. 

Painting  and  Music 

In  painting  and  music  there  is  also  constant  activity.  The 
tourist  is  always  impressed  by  the  sight  of  dozens  of  young 
modelers  and  painters  working  away  in  every  gallery.  On 
the  streets  one  passes  innumerable  art  stores  filled  with 
sketches  and  water-colors  and  copies  in  oil  of  the  great 
masterpieces.  "The  younger  men  are  overweighted  by 
Italy's  glorious  past  or  by  outside  present-day  tendencies."  2 

1  Lapworth,  Tripoli  and  "Young  Italy,  page  259. 
*  Ibid.,  page  266. 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  65 

Yet  the  riotous  splendor  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  is  gone. 
Painting,  for  long,  was  stagnant.  Now,  under  the  inspira- 
tion of  such  moderns  a&  Michetti  and  Mancini,  a  new  life 
is  being  felt.  Impressionism  flourishes  in  Italy.  The  paint- 
ers revel  in  color  and  the  effects  of  light,  rather  than  the 
conveying  of  a  thought.  Some  of  the  contemporary  radical 
movements  of  art,  such  as  the  futurism  ^>f  Marinetti, 
originated  in  Italy.  Of  the  four  leading  Italian  painters 
of  to-day,  two  are  northerners  and  two  are  from  the  south. 

Physical   Culture 

Up  to  1902,  the  number  of  army  recruits  rejected  as 
unfit  was  fifty  per  cent.  This  was  partly  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  strongest  youths  emigrate  and  also  to  the  fact  that, 
with  few  men  left  to  till  the  fields,  many  women  were 
compelled  to  work  when  they  ought  not  to  have  done  so. 
The  government  noticed  that  the  average  height  and  physique 
was  deteriorating,  and  passed  a  law  forbidding  women  to 
work  outside  of  the  home  for  three  months  before  or  after 
childbirth.  Physical  culture  drills  and  manly  sports  are 
also  provided  by  local  authorities;  boy  scouts  and  boys' 
brigades  are  everywhere  organized ;  hygiene  is  taught  in  the 
schools  and  as  a  result  a  great  and  beneficial  change  is  al- 
ready seen  in  the  nation's  physique.  Athletic  games  assume 
national  importance  and  are  patronized  by  the  crown.  Dur- 
ing my  last  stay  in  Venice,  young  men  from  all  over  Italy 
had  met  there  to  compete.  The  king  came  up  from  Rome, 
accompanied  by  army  officers  and  civil  authorities,  to  witness 
the  contests.  Each  organization  seemed  to  have  its  own 
band  and  the  parade  and  drill  on  the  Piazza  San  Marco  was 
a  brilliant  scene  of  picturesque  and  colorful  costumes. 

ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT 

The  new  industrial  development  in  Italy  is  all  the  more 
noteworthy  because  Italy  lacks  the  basic  minerals  in  large 


66  SONS  OF  ITALY 

quantities.  Coal,  ore,  and  even  wood  are  lacking.  The 
result  is  that  her  mechanics  have  developed  electrical  science 
and  have  used  the  water  power  of  her  mountain  streams, 
"white  coal,"  the  Italians  call  it.  Of  our  modern  inven- 
tions and  discoveries,  many  more  are  due  to  Italians  than 
we  think.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  Italians  that  the  concep- 
tion of  an  iojea  and  putting  it  into  practise  are  almost 
simultaneous.  They  do  not  wait  to  see  what  other  people 
make  of  it.  The  result  is  that  an  American  visiting  Italy  is 
greatly  surprised  at  the  number  and  variety  of  uses  to  which 
electricity  is  put.  Streets,  hotels,  public  buildings,  and  many 
homes  are  lighted  by  it.  Tram-cars,  machinery,  and  even 
elevators  or  lifts  are  operated  by  electricity.  When  America 
harnessed  the  great  water-power  of  Niagara,  she  sent  to 
Milan  for  her  giant  turbines.  When  acetylene  gas  was 
being  experimentally  tested  for  lighting  purposes  in  America, 
it  was  quite  a  jolt  to  our  American  assurance  to  find  an 
old  monk  carelessly  swinging  an  acetylene  lantern  to  light 
our  pathway  in  the  catacombs  of  Siracusa  in  far-off  Sicily. 
The  great  Marconi  did  all  his  experimenting  in  Italy  and 
still  holds  his  residence  in  Bologna. 

Ten  thousand  kilometers  of  railroad  and  wonderful  tun- 
nels, notably  that  through  St.  Gothard  pass,,  and  those  in 
the  mountainous  district  between  Florence  and  Bologna, 
have  been  built.  One  may  now  ride  in  a  well-appointed 
train  from  Paris  or  Berlin  to  Palermo,  without  change,  the 
cars  being  transported  by  ferry  across  the  Strait  from  Reggio 
to  Messina. 

^Industrialism 

(•>'•  Prior  to  1870,  Italy  had  few  or  no  industries.  She  was 
strictly  an  agricultural  country.  The  coming  into  being  of 
what  is  known  as  "la  terza  Italia"  "the  third  Italy," 
affected  every  phase  of  the  people's  life.  Not  only  was 
agriculture  pursued  by  more  modern  methods,  but  the  peo- 
ple in  north  Italy  condescended  to  invest  their  money  in 


ITALIAN  LIFE  IN  ITALY  67 

home  industries,  instead  of  sending  it  to  England,  France, 
and  Germany,  and  living  on  the  interest  that  might  thus 
accrue.  As  a  result,  we  have  to-day  such  cities  as  Milan, 
Genoa,  Naples,  Bari,  and  Palermo,  which  form  the  indus- 
trial arteries  of  the  peninsula,  including  Sicily. 

Venice,  with  its  environs,  is  noted  for  its  world-renowned 
glass  works.  Milan,  the  "New  York  of  Italy,"  is  a  modern 
industrial  center,  the  business  metropolis  of  the  nation,  where 
all  the  large  commercial  houses  have  their  headquarters.  It 
leads  in  the  production  of  machinery  of  all  kinds.  Genoa 
and  Naples  are  keen  rivals  for  first  place  as  seaports,  while 
Terni  and  Bari  hold  the  primacy  in  products  of  fine  steel. 
The  greatest  hat-making  establishment  in  the  world,  that  of 
the  Borsalino  hats  which  may  be  found  in  every  fashion 
center  of  our  own  country,  is  located  in  Alessandria,  in 
north  Italy. 

Italy  excels  in  the  manufacture  of  locomotives,  steam 
boilers,  turbines  and  dynamos,  pumps,  silk-weaving  appa- 
ratus, surgical  and  musical  instruments,  objects  of  art,  and 
in  certain  specialized  food  products,  such  as  macaroni  and 
olive  oil.  What  Italy  lacks  is  capital.  Had  she  more 
money  available,  her  industries  could  be  greatly  enlarged, 
and  many  other  new  fields  could  be  invaded.  Since  Italy's 
entrance  into  the  war,  factories  have  sprung  up  all  over  the 
peninsula  for  the  production  of  munitions  and  war  ma- 
terials. The  country  has  veritably  become  an  industrial 
state  over  night.  The  adaptability  of  the  people  and  the 
influx  of  modern  ideas  make  it  seem  probable  that  the  pres- 
ent economic  expansion  will  continue  unabated  after  the 
war.  The  Honorable  Signer  Nitti,  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Deputies  and  of  the  Italian  mission  to  the  United 
States,  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  Italy  is  destined,  as  a 
direct  result  of  the  war,  to  become  the  greatest  industrial 
nation  of  Europe. 

Italy  had  used  her  local  post  offices  for  savings  banks  many 
years  before  our  government  adopted  the  plan.  The  de- 


68  SONS  OF  ITALY 

posits  are  constantly  increasing,  greatly  helped  by  the  sums 
her  sons  in  other  countries  send  back  to  the  home  land. 


GROWING  NATIONALISM 

Italy  has  ceased  to  be  a  mere  "geographical  expression," 
ceased  to  be  only  a  museum  of  past  glories,  and  has  emerged 
into  modern  life,  a  united  nation  of  great  potentiality  and,  in 
the  future  development  of  Europe,  a  power  to  be  reckoned 
with.  The  average  individual  thinks  of  Italy  only  in  terms 
of  old  masters,  her  Michelangelo,  Raphael,  or  Dante,  and 
is  entirely  ignorant  of  present-day  Italy  and  the  urge  of 
her  modern  spirit,  her  aims,  and  her  needs.  Such  a  one 
cannot  understand  her  war  with  Tripoli  or  her  entrance 
into  the  present  European  struggle. 

"The  power  of  ideas  is  the  greatest  force  in  history." 
The  growing  national  spirit  is  the  great  driving  force  in 
Italy  to-day.  It  consists  in  common  ideals  of  democracy, 
a  common  interest  in  keeping  out  foreign  influence  and 
the  desire  to  develop  and  govern  Italy  for  the  benefit  of 
Italians.  The  war  is  welding  all  parties  closer  together  in 
the  common  purpose  of  freeing  the  lost  provinces  from 
Austrian  oppression.  It  is  this  ideal  which  caused  70,000 
Italians  to  return  from  the  United  States  and  90,000  from 
South  America  to  fight  for  the  liberation  of  brother  Italians 
in  Trent  and  Trieste. 


Tell  me  what  a  man  believes,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  he  is. 

— Carlyle. 


Rome  no  more  goes  forth  in  triumph,  for  a  Galilean  of  blond 
hair  has  ascended  the  Capitol ;  into  her  arms  he  has  thrown  a 
cross  and  said,  "Bear  it  and  serve!"  .  .  .  Farewell,  Semitic  God, 
crucified  Martyr;  thou  crucifiest  men  and  defilest  the  air  with  thy 
sadness. 

— Translated  from  the  Italian  of  Carducci. 

O  Galilean,  thou,  in  thy  paradise,  art  worth  less  than  Ulysses  in 
Dante's  Inferno.  The  anchor  which  descends  into  thy  waters  is  of 
no  avail  to  us.  He  who  puts  his  trust  in  thee  does  not  value  him- 
self. 

— Translated  from  the  Italian  of  D'Annunzio. 

(The  quotations  above  illustrate  the  religious  attitudes  of  the 
intellectual  and  literary  classes  in  Italy.)  .  * 


The  origin  of  our  duties  is  in  God.  The  definition  of  our  duties 
is  in  his  law.  The  progressive  discovery  and  the  application  of 
his  law  belong  to  humanity.  God  exists  because  we  exist  God 
lives  in  our  consciences,  in  the  conscience  of  humanity,  in  the  uni- 
verse that  surrounds  us.  ... 

Doubtless  the  first  atheist  was  a  man  who  had  hidden  a  crime 
from  men,  and  sought,  by  denying  God,  to  free  himself  from  the 
sole  witness  from  whom  he  could  not  hide  it,  and  so  suppress  the 
remorse  which  tormented  him. 

— Mazzini,  The  Duties  of  Man. 

.  .  .  There  is  no  greater  illusion  than  to  believe  that  .  .  .  social 
relations  can  become  more  sincere  and  friendly  without  the  great 
influence  of  the  Christian  religion. 

— Raffaele  Mariano. 

(These  quotations  illustrate  the  more  liberal  attitudes  of  the 
modernists  and  political  reformers.) 


Ill 

RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS 

The  genius  of  the  Italians  for  organization  has  per-'1 
fected  the  most  intricate  and  powerful  religious  hierarchy 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  but  even  so,  Italy  is  less  Catholic 
than  France  and  the  papacy  is  less  respected  in  its  home  than 
in  America.  The  vast  majority  of  men  of  all  classes  never 
attend  church  except  for  weddings  or  funerals,  and  then 
because  the  elaborate  church  ceremonials  on  such  occasions 
are  greatly  liked  by  Italians  and  have  more  of  social  custom 
than  of  religious  significance.  Churchgoing  is  left  to  the 
women  and  children. 

A  VILLAGE  FESTA 

San  Giovanni  is  perched  on  the  sides  and  summit  of  a 
steep  hill.  The  stone  houses  are  built  one  against  the 
other,  opening  directly  upon  narrow,  ill-paved  streets  which 
ascend  the  hill  by  irregular  stone  steps.  All  the  way  to  the 
summit  the  houses  huddle  closely  together,  the  ground  floor 
of  the  one  above  built  against  the  second  story  of  the  one 
below.  No  carriages  or  carts  pass  along  these  uneven  stair- 
ways of  streets.  The  ox-carts  must  stop  at  the  entrance 
to  the  town,  and  all  supplies  of  grain,  produce,  and  wine  are 
carried  in  baskets  on  the  backs  of  little  donkeys  which, 
with  goats  and  children,  run  nimbly  up  and  down. 

Where  the  ground  is  level  enough,  the  streets  broaden 
out  into  a  large  open  square  called  the  piazza,  in  which  is 
centered  the  life  of  the  town.  Here  is  the  duomo  or  cathe- 

71 


73  SONS  OF  ITALY 

dral,  with  a  bell  which  incessantly  clangs  its  call  to  mass  on 
Sundays.  Here  also  stands  the  town  or  municipal  hall. 
Enter,  and  in  a  room  on  the  first  floor  you  will  find  the 
town  orchestra,  numbering  thirty  men  and  boys,  holding  a 
rehearsal,  and  they  are  not  playing  ragtime,  but  Verdi  or 
Mascagni. 

The  town  possesses  one  or  two  palaces.  These  houses 
are  tall,  imposing  structures,  built  in  feudal  days  like  the 
old  Roman  homes,  with  a  large  central  door  or  gate  leading 
into  a  courtyard  around  which  the  house  is  built.  The  lower 
floors  are  used  for  storage  purposes  and  to  house  the  crops 
which  the  tenant  farmers  bring  in  for  rentals.  At  sheep- 
shearing  time,  the  peasant  drives  his  herd  of  sheep  into  this 
spacious  courtyard  and  shears  them  there. 

Sunday  is  festa  or  feast  day.  The  girls  and  women  don 
their  holiday  finery  and  every  one  goes  out  into  the  street 
to  spend  the  day  in  walking  about  inspecting  the  market, 
singing,  and  watching  the  street  shows  that  are  sure  to  be 
given.  The  young  men  balance  poles  on  their  chins.  The 
peasants  from  smaller  towns  for  a  radius  of  eight  or  ten  miles 
about  walk  or  ride  in  ox-carts  into  this  central  town  on 
Sundays  in  order  to  sell  their  goods.  In  the  piazza,  there 
is  a  great  mercato  publico  (public  market).  Grain,  vege- 
tables, flowers,  and  even  goats  and  pigs  are  for  sale,  and 
the  makers  of  pottery  and  metalware  also  spread  out  their 
stocks  on  the  ground. 

Little  tables  are  placed  out  in  the  street  and  around  them 
sit  men  drinking  their  light  wine,  singing  snatches  of  songs, 
and  playing  card  games.  Some  of  the  men  find  time  and 
interest  enough  to  join  the  women  at  morning  mass.  Except 
at  Easter  time,  there  are  no  sermons.  One  fine  Italian  youth 
told  me  that  in  four  years  of  constant  church  attendance 
he  had  heard  only  one  sermon.  The  priests  intone  the 
service  in  unintelligible  Latin,  and  save  for  a  few  devout 
ones  who  are  praying  in  front  of  the  shrine  of  the  Madonna 
or  a  patron  saint,  the  people  walk  up  and  down,  chat,  and 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  73 

even  crack  jokes.  The  younger  men  go  to  flirt  with  pretty 
girls  who  are  kept  so  closely  at  home  they  have  no  op- 
portunity to  meet  them  otherwise.  Children  run  about 
unhindered,  while  the  brothers  of  Saint  Francis  who  are 
attached  to  the  church  shake  the  little  velvet  bags  on  the 
ends  of  long  poles  to  make  the  coins  jingle  and  thus  at- 
tract attention  to  the  duty  of  alms-giving.  When  mass  is 
over  the  people  pour  into  the  streets  again  to  make  merry 
the  rest  of  their  holiday.  A  band  of  strolling  players  amuses 
them  or  it  may  be  a  bagpipe  plays  for  an  impromptu  dance 
in  the  square.  By  sundown  the  peasants  start  for  home,  the 
traders  gather  up  their  wares,  and  the  piazza,  is  quickly 
cleared.  At  an  early  hour  the  town  is  dark  and  quiet  for 
the  night. 

Although  the  town  numbers  only  4,000  people,  there  are 
three  churches  besides  the  cathedral,  and  each  is  served  by 
at  least  three  priests.  The  mendicant  order  of  St.  Francis 
has  a  monastery  attached  to  the  duomo.  These  Franciscan 
monks  perform  no  religious  service  except  as  they  may  be 
called  upon  to  preach  during  Lent.  Their  chief  pursuit  is 
beggary.  The  people  are  so  superstitious  that  they  will 
give  whatever  is  asked,  even  though  they  cannot  afford  to, 
for  fear  that  if  they  refuse,  the  "holy  man"  will  curse  their 
crops.  The  people  detest  the  begging  friars  and  call  them 
"crows"  and  "parasites"  behind  their  backs.  All  over  Italy, 
even  among  those  who  still  believe  in  their  church,  one  finds 
many  who  speak  of  the  priests  with  scorn  and  contempt, 
a  sneering  laugh,  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  as  they  re- 
peat tales  of  scandal  about  priests.  When  the  procession  • 
in  honor  of  Giordano  Bruno  takes  place  yearly  in  Rome,  no 
priest,  no  "petticoat,"  as  the  Romans  jeeringly  say,  dares 
stir  out-of-doors  all  day. 

In  Naples  an  Italian  banker  told  with  keen  relish  the  story 
of  how  Garibaldi  dealt  with  the  priests  when  he  entered 
Naples.  The  papacy  was  opposed  to  a  free,  united  Italy 
and  intrigued  with  France  and  Austria  to  prevent  it. 


74 

Through  her  priests  she  also  worked  upon  the  religious  fears 
of  the  ignorant.  San  Gennaro  (St.  Januarius)  is  the  patron 
saint  of  Naples  and  the  idol  of  the  populace,  as  he  is  sup- 
posed to  keep  the  dry  safe  from  calamity  each  year.  His 
blood  is  kept  in  a  solid  state  in  a  glass  vial  in  the  cathedral, 
and  three  times  a  year,  if  the  saint  is  pleased  with  the  people 
on  the  day  sacred  to  him,  he  liquefies  his  blood  in  sight  of  his 
worshipers,  who  do  not  realize  how  easily  the  miracle  is 
worked  by  chemicals.  The  people  are  often  kept  waiting  in 
the  church  by  the  wily  priests  two  or  three  hours  for  the 
blood  to  liquefy.  When  Garibaldi  entered  the  city  with 
his  few  faithful  followers,  the  bishop  sent  word  to  him  that 
if  he  did  not  withdraw,  he  would  influence  the  Neapolitans 
against  him  by  telling  them  that  owing  to  anger  at  his 
presence,  San  Gennaro  would  not  liquefy  his  blood  on  the 
morrow,  which  chanced  to  be  the  saint's  holiday.  Garibaldi 
realized  how  useless  it  would  be  to  argue  with  ignorant  peo- 
ple, who  would  be  in  a  frenzy  of  fear  and  disappointment  if 
the  miracle  was  not  performed,  so  he  drew  up  his  cannon 
in  front  of  the  fagade  of  the  cathedral  and  then  sent  word 
to  the  bishop  that  if  within  four  hours  San  Gennaro  had 
not  liquefied  his  blood,  he  would  destroy  the  cathedral. 
The  miracle  was  performed  within  the  allotted  time. 

ATTITUDE  OF  THE  ANTICLERICALS 

The  educated  Italians  realize  that  the  church  derives  its 
wealth  and  power  from  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of 
the  poor,  and  that  every  step  in  public  education,  in  national 
unity,  and  in  the  advance  of  human  rights  in  Italy  has  been 
vigorously  opposed  by  the  church. 

"The  Roman  Church,"  said  Giovanni  Bovio,  a  member 
of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  "is  a  branch  that  is  withering 
upon  the  tree  of  Christianity";  while  the  great  Crispi 
prophesied,  "The  day  is  coming  when  Christianity  will  kill 
Roman  Catholicism,"  and  again,  as  he  lay  dying  and  had 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  75 

been  called  antireligious,  "It  is  not  true.  We  are  anti- 
Catholic,  anticlerical.  Our  religion  is  He,"  pointing  to  a 
figure  of  the  Christ  by  his  bedside, 

It  is  difficult  for  Americans  who  speai  no  Italian  or  have 
never  lived  in  Italy  to  realize  how  bitter  is  the  feeling  of 
thousands  against  the  Roman  Church  and  how  disgusted 
they  are  at  the  silly  superstitions  fostered  among  the 
ignorant — visions,  miracles,  images  of  saints,  madonnas,  and 
adoration  of  relics.  How  these  heathen  beliefs  and  rites 
became  incorporated  in  the  Christian  church  is  a  long  story, 
but,  in  passing,  we  may  note  some  of  the  striking  similarities 
between  the  religious  practises  of  the  early  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans and  of  present-day  Roman  Catholicism. 

PARALLELS  WITH  HEATHEN  CUSTOMS 

First  of  all,  the  Roman  people  were  made  to  adopt  Chris- 
tianity by  royal  decree  rather  than  by  personal  conviction. 
When  they  shook  off  paganism,  they  still  retained  their  love 
of  local  deities.  Every  mountain,  river,  and  fountain  had 
its  presiding  divinity  in  classic  times,  and  mythology  is  full 
of  wonder  stories  concerning  them.  Many  of  these  divinities 
have  been  retained  with  their  legends,  the  only  substitution 
being  the  name  of  the  Madonna  or  some  saint  in  place  of  the 
heathen  god.  A  traveler  realizes  how  little  the  influence  of 
the  great  outside  world  has  affected  these  southern  towns, 
when  he  witnesses  a  four-day  festival,  essentially  unchanged 
from  Roman  times.  The  statue  of  the  saint  is  brought  out 
of  the  duomo  and  drawn  about  the  town  on  an  old-fashioned 
high  ox-cart  until  sundown,  and  provokes  the  same  demon- 
strations and  tributes  as  the  statue  of  Cybele,  mother  of  the 
gods,  did  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago. 

The  Romans  also  borrowed  from  the  Greeks  the  custom 
of  setting  up  images  of  their  gods  at  the  street-corners  and 
wreathing  them  with  flowers  on  festival  days.  "Hecate  of 
the  Cross-roads"  we  read  of  in  Virgil.  In  the  small,  remote 


7<S 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


towns  of  southern  Italy  and  Sicily,  at  nearly  every  corner 
of  a  main  street  stands  a  statue  of  the  Madonna,  garlanded 
with  flowers  on  festival  days.  The  Calabrian  shepherd 
peasants  still  come  trooping  into  town  the  month  before 
Christmas  and  play  on  their  reed  pipes  before  every  statue. 
It  is  perfectly  well  known  that  the  pipe  of  reeds,  the  tibia, 
was  sacred  to  the  service  of  the  gods,  and  it  was  an  old 
Roman  custom  to  go  about  the  town  playing  to  every  image 
after  the  harvest  season  of  the  year.  Other  rites  centuries 
old  still  persist. 

A  few  parallels  with  heathen  customs  we  may  tabulate 
briefly  as  follows: 


ROMAN  CHURCH 

Use      of      eunuchs,      "popes 
angels,"  to  sing  in  St.  Peter's. 

White  Cassocks. 


Monasticism,  black -robed 
monks  supported  by  gifts  of 
charity. 


Altar  paintings,  statues  of 
saints  in  the  churches.  These 
saints'  statues,  particularly  the 
Madonna,  are  worshiped  with 
votive  offerings  of  jewelry, 
rings,  pins,  bracelets,  watches, 
In  the  Church  of  St.  Agostino 
in  Rome  is  a  large  miracle- 
working  statue  of  Mary,  af- 
firmed by  a  book  sold  in  the 
church  to  have  performed  650 
certified  miracles.  The  pope  in 
1851  placed  a  crown  of  gold 
upon  its  head  with  his  own 
hands. 

Each  devout  family  has  its 
images  of  saints  in  the  home,  in 


HEATHEN  RITES 

Custom  of  eunuchs  arose  in 
Egypt. 

White  robes  commanded  by 
Roman  law  at  religious  fes- 
tivals. 

Monasticism  arose  in  Egypt 
centuries  before.  The  monks 
wore  black,  and  were  supported 
by  public  gifts. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans 
adorned  their  temples  with 
paintings,  scenes  from  the  lives 
of  the  gods,  and  also  with 
statues  to  which  rich  votive  of- 
ferings of  gold  and  silver  jew- 
elry were  made. 


The   Roman   houses   all    had 
shrines  for  the  "lares  and  pen- 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS 


front  of  which  candles  or  small 
lamps  burn  continually,  and  be- 
fore which  prayers  are  said. 


The  Italian  fishing  boats  all 
have  figureheads  of  madonnas 
or  saints  as  guardian  angels. 

On  many  Italian  houses  you 
may  find  niches  occupied  by  a 
madonna  or  saint  who  is  sup- 
posed to  guard  the  house. 

The  priest  laves  his  hands, 
turns,  and  sprinkles  water  to- 
ward the  congregation,  while 
the  altar  boys  or  choir  chant. 
Christ,  the  victim,  is  symbolized 
by  the  host,  the  wafer  taken 
by  the  priest  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  mass  and  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

Any  one  who  has  attended 
a  Catholic  mass  will  remember 
the  tinkle  of  a  little  bell  when 
the  host  is  elevated,  though -it 
now  serves  to  recall  the  wan- 
dering attention,  mayhap,  of  the 
worshipers. 


ates,"  household  gods,  before 
•whom  small  lamps  burned  con- 
tinually and  the  family  devo- 
tions were  paid. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  al- 
ways used  divinities,  usually 
goddesses,  as  figureheads  on 
the  bows  of  their  ships. 

The  Romans  placed  statues  of 
the  gods  to  guard  the  entrances 
to  their  homes. 


The  priest  washed  his  hands 
before  the  sacrifice,  turned,  and 
sprinkled  water  toward  the 
audience.  The  pagan  priests 
chanted  or  played  upon  pipes 
while  the  cow  or  goat,  called 
the  "hostia,"  was  prepared. 


When  all  was  ready  the  vic- 
tim or  hostia  was  held  up,  of- 
fered to  the  god,  whose  atten- 
tion was  called  by  the  ringing 
of  a  bell,  and  whose  senses 
were  supposed  to  be  pleased  by 
the  clouds  of  incense  from  the 
censers,  just  as  in  Jewish  cere- 
monies. 


The  great  peacock  feather  fans  carried  behind  the  pope 
are  a  relic  of  the  days  when  they  had  a  real  use,  to  shoo 
away  the  flies  from  the  slaughtered  offering.  "That  which 
characterizes  pagan  ceremonies  in  any  country  is  the  ap- 
peal to  sense  and  the  scenic  and  dramatic  effect  rather  than 
that  which  appeals  to  thought  and  reflection."  x  The  in- 
habitants of  Italy  from  most  remote  times  have  been  very 

1  Blunt,  Vestiges  of  Ancient  Rites  and  Customs  in  Modern  Italy 
and  Sicily,  page  150. 


78  SONS  OF  ITALY 

sensitive  to  color  and  form,  that  which  appeals  to  the  eye. 
As  Dr.  Bhmt  puts  it,  they  have  a  "keen  hunger  for  sense 
impressions."  This  very  sensitiveness  to  beauty,  the  ap- 
peal to  eye  and  ear,  constitutes  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why 
Italians  should  be  permitted  to  worship  in  as  artistic,  at- 
tractive buildings  as  it  is  possible  to  secure. 

The  worship  of  the  Madonna  seems  to  have  grown  from 
the  fondness  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  people  for  the 
worship  of  female  deities.  This  cult  originated  in  Egypt, 
where  Isis  was  worshiped  as  the  giver  and  preserver  of 
life.  In  Italy,  Cybele,  the  mother  of  the  gods,  was  wor- 
shiped as  the  giver  of  life  and  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  Her 
help  was  invoked  in  time  of  disease  or  any  danger  that 
threatened  life.  The  Christian  trinity  contained  no  female 
deity,  although  some  abortive  attempts  were  made  to  call 
the  Holy  Ghost  a  female. 

MARIOLATRY 

There  are  literally  hundreds  of  madonnas,  Our  Lady  of 
Loretto,  Our  Lady  of  Pompeii,  Our  Lady  of  Mt.  Carmel, 
Our  Lady  of  Good  Counsel,  Our  Lady  of  the  Sea,  Our 
Lady  of  the  Figs,  Our  Lady  of  the  Vines,  St.  Mary  of 
the  Angels,  the  Madonna  of  the  Tubs,  the  Madonna  of 
Babies,  enough  madonnas  for  every  day  in  the  year.  Many 
of  these  are  supposed  to  work  miracles,  especially  the 
famous  Madonna  of  Pompeii,  and  pilgrimages  are  made 
to  her  shrine. 

In  1854,  Pope  Pius  IX  promulgated  the  doctrine  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  as  an  article  of  faith,  to  deny  which 
would  be  heresy  meriting  eternal  punishment.  After  de- 
claring Mary  to  be  born  free  from  sin,  it  was  only  a  step 
to  declare  her  life  to  be  sinless;  hence  her  merit  as  well 
as  the  merits  of  the  sinless  life  of  her  son  can  be  applied 
as  atonement  for  sin,  and  a  sinner  is  urged  to  pray  to  her. 
"Each  village  and  town  has  also  its  own  feast  in  honor  of  its 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  79 

local  madonna.  Each  Saturday  is  dedicated  to  her,  also  the 
whole  of  the  month  of  May.  The  worship  of  Mary,  'Queen 
of  Heaven,'  Mother  of  God,  has  long  since  eclipsed  that 
of  her  son." 

SAINT  WORSHIP  AND  RELICS 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  saints?  Their  name  is 
legion  and  the  church  is  continually  turning  out  more.  Not 
even  a  devout  Roman  Catholic  could  possibly  be  acquainted 
with  all  the  saints  in  the  catalog.  Says  an  Italian  news- 
paper in  an  article  entitled  "La  Fabrica  di  Santi,"  "The 
Manufacture  of  Saints"  x :  "As  is  well  known,  the  papal 
church,  because  of  the  scarcity  of  men  worthy  of  veneration, 
was  obliged  to  create  a  number  of  saints,  enough  to  satisfy  all 
the  parishes,  each  of  which  wanted  at  least  one  for  itself. 
How  did  it  do  so?  Easily  enough!  Exploring  the  cata- 
combs of  Rome,  it  collected  right  and  left  all  the  skeletons 
that  came  in  its  way,  giving  them  names  haphazard  and 
surrounding  them  with  marvelous  stories.  So  great,  how- 
ever, was  the  haste  and  hurry,  that  bishops  and  priests 
went  on  repeating  the  same  names  and  same  stories  for  dif- 
ferent localities.  Hence,  there  arose  in  the  church  this  ex- 
traordinary state  of  matters  that  some  saints  have  many 
bodies,  besides  quantities  of  arms,  legs,  hands,  and  fingers. 
St.  Peter  himself  has  three  bodies,  one  under  the  high  altar 
at  Rome,  one  at  Constantinople,  one  at  Cluny,  and  frag- 
ments in  five  other  cities.  St.  Andrew  has  five  complete 
bodies  and  the  head  of  a  sixth.  St.  Pancreas  has  twelve 
bodies,  all  genuine,  as  attested  by  papal  bulls  recorded  at 
shrines  where  they  are  kept.  Mary  Magdalene  has  four 
bodies,  and  the  relics  of  her  hair  would  make  many  wigs. 

All  relics  are  supposed  to  have  power  of  healing  and 
performing  miracles  like  San  Gennaro.  The  relics  of  the 
true  cross  scattered  over  the  world  would  make  many 

1  Quoted  in  Alexander  Robinson,  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  in 
Italy. 


8o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

crosses.  Then,  there  are  teeth,  fingers,  bones  of  the  Virgin, 
numerous  milk-bottles  with  which  she  fed  the  infant  Christ, 
and  pieces  of  her  veil.  The  handkerchief  of  St.  Veronica, 
with  which  she  wiped  the  Savior's  face  and  which  bears  the 
imprint  of  his  countenance,  is  exhibited  from  a  high  gallery 
in  St.  Peter's  during  Holy  Week  and  venerated  by  the 
faithful  who  bow  and  cross  themselves.  Every  Catholic 
church  desires  to  possess  at  least  one  relic.  Some  have  many 
and  have  derived  fame  and  wealth  through  the  pilgrimages 
of  thousands  who  come  to  worship  or  to  be  healed  by  the 
sacred  relics.  New  York  City,  even,  has  its  bone  of  St. 
Ann,  supposed  to  heal  cripples. 

The  Italians  are  not  without  their  accustomed  sense  of 
humor  even  in  regard  to  relics.  De  Sanctis  tells  of  how 
the  custodian  of  the  Vatican  relics  made  a  poor,  ignorant 
priest  believe  that  among  the  relics  was  a  feather  from  the 
wing  of  the  Archangel  Michael,  which  he  lost  while  fight- 
ing Satan.  The  poor  priest  wished  to  see  it,  so  the  custodian 
finally  took  a  swan's  feather,  tied  it  with  a  ribbon,  and, 
stamping  it  with  the  official  seal,  gave  it  to  the  credulous 
priest,  who  was  nearly  beside  himself  with  joy  at  his 
treasure. 

It  is  only  fair  to  state  that  intelligent,  spiritually-minded 
Catholics — and  there  are  many  in  Italy — are  digusted  with 
this  state  of  affairs,  but  the  sincere  efforts  of  many  earnest 
souls  to  cleanse  the  church  of  superstition  and  make  religion 
a  spiritual,  vital,  moral  force  in  the  life  of  the  individual 
and  in  society  have  resulted  in  excommunication  for  those 
who  make  their  views  too  public, 

PROTESTANT  AND  CATHOLIC  TEACHINGS 

The  Protestants  hold  that  God's  truth  should  be  free  to 
all.  All  can  and  ought  to  learn  to  read  and  think  for 
themselves  on  relipirms  matters.  The  Protestants  believe 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  81 

in  education,  teaching  the  Bible,  and  training  the  conscience 
and  will  to  discern  and  decide  for  the  truth. 

The  Catholics  hold  that  their  church  is  the  sole  repository 
of  truth  and  it  is  its  function  to  dole  it  out  to  the  people, 
as  a  mother  gives  what  she  thinks  is  necessary  to  her 
children.  No  matter  how  well  educated  a  man  may  become, 
and  how  well  able  to  decide  for  himself  in  other  matters, 
he  is  still  a  child  when  it  comes  to  religion  and  has  no 
right  to  question  the  decision  or  authority  of  the  church, 
no  matter  how  it  may  conflict  with  his  reason.  This  is 
the  great  battleground  of  modernism  in  the  Roman  Church. 

The  Protestant  churches  teach  loyalty  to  God  and  country, 
and  freedom  for  the  individual.  They  have  no  Index,  no 
barred  books,  and  they  are  not  afraid  to  have  their  members 
talk  religion  with  any  one.  Truth  will  conquer  by  its 
own  force,  if  only  freedom  of  access  to  it  is  allowed  to  men. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  teaches  obedience  and  loyalty 
to  itself  as  the  highest  authority.  If  there  is  any  question 
between  conscience  and  the  teaching  of  the  church,  follow* 
the  teaching  of  the  church.  But  we  have  only  one  criterion 
by  which  to  judge  the  superiority  of  one  form  of  religion 
over  another,  and  that  is  by  the  type  of  character  it  de- 
velops. "By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  The  subject 
of  salvation,  how  it  is  attained,  and  what  are  its  logical 
results,  occupies  the  central  position  in  Protestant  teaching. 
Salvation  means  faith  in  and  attachment  to  the  personality  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  domination  of  the  life  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  so  that  sin  in  the  life  is  gradually  overcome  and 
service  reigns  in  its  stead.  This  means  the  development 
of  a  moral  character.  According  to  the  practise  and  teaching 
of  the  Roman  Church,  salvation  consists  in  avoiding  the 
consequences  of  sin.  Here  is  a  quotation  from  "How  to 
Make  a  Mission,"  by  one  of  the  Paulist  Fathers:  "Recogniz- 
ing the  fact  that  man  is  prone  to  sin,  what  has  the  church 
done?  She  has  opened  the  treasure  of  her  indulgences  and 
she  says  to  her  sinful  children,  'Come,  fear  not,  I  will 


82  SONS  OF  ITALY 

open  a  way  to  you,  satisfying  God  for  your  sins.  Do  this 
good  work,  say  these  devout  prayers,  and  I  by  the  power 
vested  in  me  will  grant  you  a  plenary  indulgence.  That 
is,  I  will  take  away  all  that  debt  which  you  owe  to  the 
justice  of  God  for  your  sins.'  " 

The  church  further  teaches  that  the  priest  is  indispensable 
to  any  who  desire  to  enter  heaven,  and  hence  the  necessity 
of  extreme  unction,  the  last  rites  administered  to  the  dying. 

Here  are  some  of  the  cardinal  principles  taught  and 
practised  in  the  Roman  Church: 

1.  There  is  no  salvation  outside  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

2.  The  child  who  dies  unbaptized  cannot  enter  heaven  be- 
cause of  original  sin  which  is  washed  away  by  baptism. 

3.  Forgiveness  of  sin  is  dependent  upon  confession  to  a 
priest  and  the  performance  of  the  penance  which  he  may 
impose  in  granting  absolution. 

4.  Penance  may  be  removed  from  the  penitent  by  obtain- 
ing  a  plenary   indulgence,   and   indulgences  are   far   more 
numerous  to-day  than  in  the  time  of  Luther. 

5.  Partaking  of  the  communion,  attendance  upon  mass, 
performing  pious  works,  and  advancing  the  interest  of  the 
church  are  all  means  whereby  merit  is  acquired  which  may  be 
applied  to  satisfy  God  for  the  sins  one  commits. 

6.  Priests  are  the  only  channel  of  divine  grace  to  men, 
regardless  of  the  moral  and  private  life  of  the  priest. 

7.  The  Bible  is  a  pious  book,  but  the  church  is  superior 
to  it,  because  the  church  produced  the  Bible. 

8.  A  clear  distinction  is  made  between  venial  and  mortal 
sins. 

9.  Masses  said  and  paid  for  will  liberate  souls  from  the 
sufferings  of  purgatory. 

10.  Objects  of  indulgence  have  magic  power  to  heal  and 
even  deliver  from  the  power  of  justice. 

The  following  are  quotations  from  the  new  Catholic 
catechism : 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  83 

Art.    127.     The  pope  alone  is  infallible  when  he  decides 

what  all  Christians  must  believe  and  practise. 
Art.  129.    Out  of  the  (Holy  Catholic)  Church  no  one  can 
be  saved,  because  she  alone  was  founded  by  Christ  to 
save  men. 

Art.  131.  ...  Application.  Give  thanks  to  God  that 
you  are  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  If  you  live 
as  a  good  Catholic  you  will  also  die  as  such  and  go  to 
heaven.  If  not,  you  will  be  punished  in  hell  more 
severely  than  the  pagans.  Pray  for  the  conversion  of 
heretics  and  infidels. 

Art  137.  Only  God  can  forgive  sins  and  those  to  wrhom 
God  has  given  power.  This  power  God  gives  to  bishops 
and  priests. 

Art.  138.  Sins  are  forgiven  by  the  sacraments  of  baptism 
and  penance.  Application.  In  baptism  you  are  cleansed 
from  original  sin.  If  you  have  committed  grievous  sin 
after  baptism,  the  only  salvation  is  the  sacrament  of 
penance.  (This  is,  of  course,  imposed  by  the  priest 
after  confession,  and  usually  takes  the  form  of  alms- 
giving to  the  church  treasury,  and  additional  prayers.) 
Art.  139.  We  help  the  poor  souls  in  purgatory  by  prayer, 
good  works,  indulgences,  and  especially  by  the  holy 
sacrifice  of  the  mass. 

In  answer  to  the  efforts  of  sincere  Catholic  modernists 
who  are  trying  to  reform  the  Catholic  Church,  we  may 
quote  the  view  of  the  hierarchy  from  The  Faith  of  Our 
Fathers  by  Cardinal  Gibbons.  On  page  95  we  read :  "The 
church  is  not  susceptible  of  being  reformed  in  her  doctrines. 
Like  all  God's  work,  it  is  perfect.  It  therefore  is  incapable 
of  reform.  Is  it  not  the  height  of  presumption  for  men  to 
attempt  to  improve  the  work  of  God?  Is  it  not  ridiculous 
for  the  Luthers  and  the  Calvins,  the  Knoxes  and  the  Henries 
[he  is  referring  to  Henry  VIII  of  England]  and  a  thousand 
lesser  lights  to  be  offering  amendments  to  the  constitution 
of  the  church,  as  if  it  were  a  human  institution?  ...  If, 


84  SONS  OF  ITALY 

as  we  have  seen,  the  church  has  authority  from  God  to  teach, 
and  if  she  teaches  nothing  but  the  truth,  is  it  not  the  duty 
of  all  Christians  to  hear  her  voice  and  obey  her  commands?" 
It  makes  no  difference  whether  intelligent  Catholics  ac- 
cept all  these  principles  or  not.  They  are  taught  to  the 
common  people.  It  is  a  fact  that  a  religious  system  based 
on  such  teachings  cannot  produce  highly  developed  spiritual 
and  moral  characters.  There  are  Catholics  that  are  highly 
spiritual,  but  they  are  so  in  spite  of  the  system.  There  are 
professing  Protestants  who  are  not  nearly  as  good  as  some 
Roman  Catholics,  and  yet  the  Protestant  system,  carefully 
observed,  tends  to  produce  characterful  people.  One  of  the 
dangers  from  Romanism  is  the  tendency  to  lower  the  moral 
and  ethical  significance  of  the  Christian  religion. 

BREAKING  AWAY  FROM  THE  FAITH   OF  THE  FATHERS 

No  great  movement  comes  about  without  a  long  period  of 
preparation.  The  seeds  for  the  present  religious  upheaval 
and  indifference  in  Italy  were  sown  many  centuries  ago. 
Indeed,  they  began  to  grow  as  far  back  as  the  second  and 
third  century  when  vital  religion  was  gradually  transformed 
into  a  system  of  externals  and  when  salvation  was  based 
upon  what  one  did  rather  than  upon  what  one  was.  The 
Renaissance  broke  the  backbone  of  authority  and  the 
Reformation  set  up  the  ideal  of  real  religion.  Italy  would 
have  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Reformation  had  there 
been  any  power  whatsoever  that  could  protect  those  who 
wished  to  follow  Christ  according  to  the  teaching  of  the 
Scripture.  Germany  had  her  princes;  Switzerland  had  her 
Canton  rulers,  while  England  had  her  Cromwell,  and  Hol- 
land, her  William  the  Silent.  Italy  had  no  outstanding  in- 
surgent leaders  to  arrest  the  terror  of  the  Spanish  and  Ital- 
ian Inquisition.  The  Roman  Church  was  able  to  root  out  so 
completely  the  heretical  representatives  that  outside  of  the 


THREE  TYPICAL  HILL  TOWNS  OF  CENTRAL  AND  SOUTHERN  ITALY 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  85 

little  Waldensian  valleys  none  of  the  Protestant  groups  have 
persisted  to  our  times.  The  Council  of  Trent,  without  rea- 
son or  proofs,  asserted  what  the  church  taught  regarding 
certain  religious  matters,  and  all  those  who  refused  to  ac- 
cept the  dictates  of  the  church  were  anathema,  and,  if  they 
were  not  killed  outright,  their  lives  were  made  intolerable 
by  persecutions  of  body  and  spirit. 

History  is  full  of  the  awful  things  that  were  committed 
in  the  name  of  religion.  People  in  south  Italy  and  Sicily, 
kept  in  ignorance  and  threatened  with  torture  and  death  if 
they  dared  to  oppose  what  the  church  said,  thought  best  to 
keep  silent.  But  when  Italy  was  united  and  religious  tolera- 
tion was  declared  throughout  the  kingdom,  professors  and 
students  made  known  to  the  world  that  they  did  not,  wish 
to  stultify  their  consciences,  and  so  they  declared  their  op- 
position to  the  church,  and  in  their  eyes,  therefore,  to  re- 
ligion. At  the  present  time  the  vast  majority  of  university 
professors  and  students  are  avowed  atheists. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  WAR  ON  THE  RELIGIOUS  SITUATION  IN 

ITALY 

Mr.  Gino  C.  Speranza,  a  New  York  lawyer  who  is  the 
special  correspondent  of  The  Outlook  on  the  Italian  front, 
finds  that  the  war  is  leading  Italians,  as  it  has  English, 
French,  and  Belgians,  to  think  more  seriously  on  the  mean- 
ing and  destiny  of  life.  He  finds  an  increase  in  religious 
practise,  a  turning  of  men's  minds  to  God,  and  a  quiet,  calm 
religious  faith  among  the  soldiers,  but  he  adds,  "If  the  test 
is  made  of  a  closer  adherence  and  devotion  to  the  sovereign 
pontiff,  the  religious  fervor  has  declined."  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  anticipating  the  influence  which  the  contribution  of 
many  hitherto  indifferent  "intellectuals"  will  make  upon 
religious  thought  after  the  war. 


56  SONS  OF  ITALY 

PROTESTANT  CHRISTIANITY  IN  ITALY 

The  history  of  Protestantism  in  Italy  is  written  in  blood. 
The  inquisition,  cruel  edicts,  and  persecutions  of  various 
forms  have  wrought  havoc  among  seekers  for  religious 
truth.  Popes,  kings,  and  dukes  have  vied  with  each  other 
in  their  efforts  to  root  out  heresy  from  the  peninsula.  The 
absolute  power  of  the  Roman  Church  during  the  thousand 
years  prior  to  the  unification  of  Italy  explains  why  New 
Testament  Christianity  did  not  get  a  permanent  footing 
there.  When  such  men  as  Arnold  of  Brescia,  Giordano 
Bruno,  Savonarola,  and  a  host  of  other  lesser  known  heroes 
raised  their  voices  against  the  false  positions  of  the  church, 
and  against  the  unchristian  lives  of  prelates,  the  stake  and 
the  dungeon  closed  their  lips  forever.  Italy  has  remained 
nominally  Roman  Catholic  to  our  day  because  of  the  mailed 
fist  of  the  vicar  of  Christ. 

The  evangelical  colonies  of  north  as  well  as  of  south 
Italy  were  hewn  to  pieces  by  the  fanatical  soldiery  of  the 
church.  The  unity  of  the  church  was  maintained  by  letting 
no  one  live  who  dared  to  differ  from  her.  The  savage 
slaughter  of  the  Waldensians  known  as  "Le  Pasqua  Pie- 
montese"  in  1655,  made  such  an  impression  upon  the  out- 
side world,  that  Cromwell  threatened  to  intervene  unless 
the  awful  butchery  of  men,  women,  and  children  ceased, 
and  the  great  Milton  wrote  his  famous  sonnet,  "Avenge, 
O  Lord,  Thy  Slaughtered  Saints." 

Permanent  relief,  however,  came  in  1848  when  Carlo 
Alberto  issued  his  famous  edict  of  emancipation.  While  the 
Roman  Church  was  still  recognized  as  the  state  church,  the 
dissenting  Waldensians  were  restored  to  civil  rights  and 
once  for  all  the  evangelicals  of  the  Italian  kingdom  were 
protected  against  further  civil  persecution. 

Waldensians 

And  yet,  in  the  face  of  serious  obstacles  during  the  past 
^orty-five  years,  the  Waldensian  Church  has  established 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  87 

many  churches  and  institutions.  At  the  present  time  the 
Waldensians  report  20,519  members,  70  pastors,  6,408 
Sunday-school  pupils,  and  an  annual  contribution  to  their 
own  work  of  $34,000.  The  church  also  maintains  a  theo- 
logical seminary,  three  religious  papers,  schools  for  girls  and 
boys,  and  two  lace-making  schools  for  young  women. 

Evangelization  is  the  chief  business  of  the  Protestant 
church  in  Italy.  But  each  of  the  denominations  at  work 
lays  special  emphasis  upon  some  one  feature  of  the  general 
task.  The  Waldensian  Church,  because  of  its  Protestant 
inheritance,  has  secured  the  position  of  primacy  in  the  per- 
sonnel of  its  ministry.  The  missionary  pastors  are  all 
drawn  from  the  Waldensian  valleys,  where  they  receive  a 
good  general  education  and  are  then  sent  to  the  theological 
seminary  in  Florence,  where  they  have  access  to  L'Istituto 
del  Studi  Superiori  for  advanced  work.  Due  to  the  assist- 
ance of  generous  friends  in  England,  Scotland,  and  America, 
the  Waldensian  Church  has  been  enabled  to  equip  itself 
with  good,  churchly  buildings.  Through  the  bequests  of 
Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy  of  New  York,  a  large,  cathedral-like 
church  has  been  built  in  Rome,  not  far  from  the  Vatican 
itself,  on  ground  made  sacred  to  Waldensians  by  the  death 
and  suffering  of  their  martyrs.  The  Protestant  propaganda 
in  Italy  as  a  whole  began  in  1870  when  the  temporal  power 
of  the  Pope  came  to  an  end  and  the  soldiers  of  Victor 
Emmanuel  entered  the  Eternal  City  through  the  breach 
made  in  the  ancient  walls  of  Rome. 

Baptists 

Among  the  first  of  the  denominations  of  America  to  re- 
spond to  Italy's  religious  needs  was  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention.  The  Rev.  George  B.  Taylor,  sent  out  by  the 
mission  board  of  that  denomination,  gave  thirty  years  of 
his  life  to  the  task  of  Italian  evangelization.  He  had  diffi- 
culties to  encounter  of  which  only  those  nearest  to  him  were 
aware,  but  he  was  able  with  his  own  eyes  to  behold  the  fruit 


88  SONS  OF  ITALY 

of  his  labors.  During  his  lifetime  a  score  of  churches  and 
missions  were  planted  in  various  parts  of  Italy,  a  religious 
weekly  was  established,  and  a  theological  seminary  was 
inaugurated  under  the  leadership  of  the  Rev.  D.  G.  Whit- 
tinghill,  who  is  still  its  president. 

The  Rev.  Everett  Gill  and  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Stewart  have 
been  in  charge  of  the  strictly  religious  work,  the  former 
caring  for  the  churches  in  the  north,  the  latter  for  the 
southern  churches.  Dr.  Whittinghill,  in  addition  to  his 
duties  as  president  of  the  theological  seminar}7,  has  general 
direction  of  the  department  of  publication. 

According  to  the  last  report,  the  Baptist  mission  in  Italy 
has  32  ordained  Italian  pastors,  46  churches,  and  70  out- 
stations,  with  1,362  members,  40  Sunday-schools  with  1,144 
pupils,  a  theological  seminary,  two  religious  papers,  and  a 
monthly  religious  review. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  work  of  the  Bap- 
tist mission  is  the  publication  of  a  series  of  volumes  on  vital 
topics.  These  are  meeting  with  general  approval.  The 
two  volumes,  "The  Baptists"  and  "Faithwards,"  have  had  a 
circulation  of  4,000  copies,  and  500  copies  of  the  former 
were  sent  to  well-known  priests,  some  of  whom  wrote  of 
their  appreciation  of  the  work.  But  it  is  the  monthly  re- 
ligious review,  //  Bilychnis,  that  has  met  with  the  greatest 
success.  Men  in  all  ranks  of  society  are  glad  to  read  its 
message.  It  is  sold  in  forty  of  the  principal  book-stores  in 
Rome,  while  among  its  subscribers  are  professors  of  univer- 
sities, one  hundred  teachers  of  gymnasiums,  lyceums,  and 
technical  schools,  115  Roman  Catholic  priests,  nearly  all  the 
evangelical  ministers  in  the  country,  and  several  members 
of  parliament,  including  ex-Prime  Minister  Luzzatti.  // 
Bilychnis  is  the  leading  review  of  Protestantism  in  Italy 
and  is  doing  much  to  spread  Protestant  religious  ideals 
among  those  who  are  the  creators  of  public  opinion.  Some 
of  the  leading  modernists,  deprived  by  papal  ban  of  their 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  89 

own  organ,  II  Rinnovamento  of  Milan,  contribute  valuable 
articles  on  modern  scientific  research,  philosophy,  and 
politics, 

Methodists 

Three  years  after  the  Italians  became  masters  of  their 
own  country  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  America 
responded  to  the  call  from  Italy.  In  1873,  the  Methodist 
mission  in  Italy  was  established  by  Dr.  Leroy  M.  Vernon, 
who  was  in  charge  until  1888.  The  principal  figures  of 
this  enterprise  are  Bishop  William  Burt,  Dr.  N.  Walling 
Clark,  and  Dr.  Bertram  M.  Tipple.  Both  Bishop  Burt 
and  Dr.  Tipple  have  been  honored  by  the  king  with  the 
title  of  cavaliere  because  of  the  splendid  work  they  have 
done  for  Italy. 

Dr.  Burt  was  in  charge  of  the  religious  work  until  1904, 
when  he  was  elected  bishop,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Clark,  who  had  been  for  many  years  at  the  head  of  the 
educational  work.  Dr.  Clark's  place  was  ably  filled  by 
Dr.  Tipple.  Two  of  the  district  superintendents  are 
Italians,  Rev.  Vittorio  Bani  being  in  charge  of  the  Milan 
district,  while  Carlo  M.  Ferreri  cares  for  the  Naples  dis- 
trict. 

In  addition  to  its  regular  work  of  evangelization,  the 
Methodist  mission  has  established  schools  which  are  attract- 
ing general  attention  because  of  their  scholarly  efficiency 
and  high  moral  tone.  Crandon  International  Institute,  a 
modern  school  for  girls  which  occupies  one  of  the  most  com- 
manding sites  in  Rome,  has  had  among  its  students  daugh- 
ters of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  the  city.  The 
Methodists  have  built  three  large  buildings  in  Rome.  One 
structure  of  five  stories  on  Via  Venti  Settembre  furnishes 
quarters  for  the  Italian  and  American  churches,  the  day  and 
boarding  school  for  boys,  the  theological  department,  the 
printing  plant,  and  splendid  apartments  for  some  of  the 


9o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

workers,  while  the  other  two  buildings  situated  on  Via 
Savoia  house  the  International  Institute  for  young  women, 
which  has  been  well  called  the  Vassar  of  Italy. 

But  the  proposed  new  collegia  on  Monte  Mario  is 
destined  to  be  the  most  effective  institution  for  the  establish- 
ment of  Protestant  Christian  ideals  in  Italy.  This  is  to  be 
a  real  college.  Aside  from  its  regular  classical  and  cultural 
subjects,  it  will  include  a  science  hall,  an  agricultural  build- 
ing, a  music  school,  an  art  department,  an  industrial  build- 
ing, and  everything  that  will  make  such  an  institution  of 
the  highest  value  to  the  Italian  people.  The  crown  of  it 
all  will  be  a  splendid  chapel,  the  gift  of  the  Epworth 
League  of  the  second  General  Conference  district  in 
America.  "The  last  available  hilltop  in  Rome  is  now  owned 
by  Methodism.  On  this  strategic  summit  Methodism  pro- 
poses to  train  the  vital  Christian  statesmen  for  the  coming 
millions  of  the  Mediterranean." 

The  Methodist  mission  in  Italy  has  76  pastors  and  local 
preachers,  3,212  full  members,  1,025  probationers,  and  a 
Sunday-school  membership  of  2,8n.  It  publishes  a  weekly 
religious  paper  for  young  people,  the  Evangelists,  main- 
tains a  theological  school,  a  boys'  secondary  school  and  in- 
dustrial school,  two  schools  for  girls,  six  elementary  schools, 
and  a  publishing  house.  It  has  a  fund  for  disabled  min- 
isters and  holds  tide  to  property  valued  at  $1,000,000. 

The  children  of  the  inventor  Marconi  attend  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  Sunday-school  in  Bologna,  and  two  of  them 
are  now  pupils  of  Crandon  Institute.  The  Garibaldi  fam- 
ily is  Methodist.  Italia  Garibaldi,  a  granddaughter  of  the 
patriot,  has  done  much  for  blind  children  and  has  taught  in 
the  girls'  industrial  school  in  Rome.  Her  brother  Bruno 
was  educated  in  the  Methodist  boys'  school  in  Rome,  and 
when  he  was  killed  in  action  in  France,  his  countrymen 
gave  him  the  tribute  of  a  public  military  funeral  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  heroic  service. 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  91 

Interdenominational  Institution 

The  SaTonarola  Institute  for  converted  priests  was 
established  in  Rome  in  1912  by  Dr.  Walling  Clark.  It  is 
under  the  direction  of  a  board  of  managers  having  repre- 
sentatives from  all  the  Protestant  churches,  and  provides 
instruction  in  the  Bible  and  in  practical  subjects  for  men 
who  leave  the  priesthood  for  reasons  of  conscience.  More 
than  forty  ex-priests  have  been  aided  by  this  movement,  and 
some  of  them  are  now  occupying  positions  of  large  influence 
and  usefulness  in  the  Protestant  churches  of  Europe  and 
America. 

Impact  of  American  Protestantism  on  Italy 

Soon  after  evangelical  churches  commenced  work  among 
Italians  in  America,  the  effects  were  seen  in  Italy.  The 
first  missionary  pastors  were  converts  who  came  from  Italy, 
but  by  their  labors  America  soon  began  to  repay  Italy. 
Here  and  there  an  Italian  converted  in  America  returned 
to  Italy,  and  did  not  hide  his  light  under  a  bushel,  but 
faithfully  proclaimed  his  new-found  faith  in  Jesus  as  his 
Savior.  Sometimes  these  humble  messengers  were  ostra- 
cized by  their  families  and  friends,  persecuted  until  they 
returned  to  America.  In  other  places  their  townspeople 
listened  first  with  curiosity  to  the  American  religion,  and 
later  with  such  interest  that  many  were  converted.  A 
peasant  of  Calitri  was  converted  at  the  Baptist  mission  in 
Hartford  and  became  an  earnest  Christian.  When  he  re- 
turned to  his  family  in  the  little  hill-town  of  southern  Italy, 
he  labored  tirelessly  to  bring  his  townsmen  to  Christ,  with 
the  result  that  a  church  was  formed  with  a  membership  of 
half  a  hundred  which  has  since  grown  to  several  hundred. 

One  of  the  members  of  a  Methodist  Italian  Church  in 
New  York  went  back  to  see  his  relatives  in  Albanella,  south 
of  Naples,  and  eagerly  told  them  of  his  new  friend  Jesus. 
The  priest  tried  to  set  the  people  against  him  to  stone  him 
as  a  heretic,  but  he  was  not  daunted.  Although  he  could 


92  SONS  OF  ITALY 

only  read  the  New  Testament  with  difficulty  he  gathered 
his  friends  in  his  Own  room  and  taught  them  all  he  knew 
about  the  Son  of  God.  In  the  course  of  a  year,  twenty-five 
had  been  well  established  in  the  fundamentals  of  the  gospel. 
This  simple  but  effective  preacher  felt  his  own  insufficiency 
to  give  his  friends  further  light,  so  he  asked  a  missionary 
from  Naples  to  visit  his  group  of  believers.  During  the 
following  year  this  group  so  increased  in  numbers  that  the 
district  superintendent  at  Naples  sent  his  own  son  to  min- 
ister to  the  congregation,  brought  together  by  a  zealous 
peasant.  The  Roman  Church  viewed  with  alarm  the  growth 
of  this  church,  and  a  prominent  theologian,  and  later,  the 
bishop  of  the  diocese  visited  the  town  to  stem  the  tide.  They 
threatened  and  warned  the  people  against  the  "diabolical, 
heretical  propaganda,"  but  the  earnest,  upright  life  of  the 
converted  Italian  from  America  had  not  been  unnoticed. 
The  new  pastor  could  find  no  hall  large  enough  to  hold  all 
the  people  who  flocked  to  his  services,  so  he  asked  the  authori- 
ties for  the  use  of  the  public  square.  The  whole  town 
turned  out  to  hear  him.  After  another  year's  work,  a 
church  with  300  members  was  organized,  a  school  was 
established,  and  to-day  Albanella  is  rejoicing  in  the  liberty 
of  the  light  which  is  in  Jesus  Christ.  All  this  was  made 
possible  by  the  conversion  of  a  humble  day  laborer  in  an 
American  mission. 

An  Abruzzese  was  converted  in  a  Methodist  mission  in 
Astoria,  Long  Island,  and  when  he  returned  to  visit  his 
native  Sale  among  the  Abruzzi  mountains,  his  first  concern 
was  to  preach  the  gospel  of  glad  tidings,  the  truth  that 
makes  men  free.  He  had  very  little  education,  but  could 
read  the  New  Testament,  which  he  always  carried  in  his 
pocket,  and  read  to  all  who  would  listen  to  him.  In  a 
short  time  forty  persons  became  deeply  interested,  but  when 
the  grain  crop  failed,  and  the  priest  announced  from  the 
altar  that  it  was  due  to  the  presence  of  a  heretic  among 
them,  the  people  were  so  enraged  they  sought  to  kill  him. 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  93 

But  as  time  went  on,  here,  too,  his  daily  life  won  them,  and 
to-day  there  is  a  church  and  day  school  conducted  by  the 
Waldensians,  who  have  also  sent  a  Bible  woman  to  work  in 
the  homes.  Such  instances  as  these  might  be  multiplied  in- 
definitely. 

The  effect  of  Italian  evangelization  has  been  felt  in  all 
parts  of  Italy.  Scores  of  missions  and  churches  have  been 
made  possible  because  of  one  or  more  returned  converted 
immigrants.  The  freedom  of  America  has  made  these 
humble  people  bold  in  proclaiming  the  truth.  One  of  the 
religious  leaders  of  Italy  said:  "You  brethren  in  America 
can  do  much  for  the  evangelization  of  Italy.  Indeed,  our 
work  here  is  largely  dependent  upon  what  you  do  in 
America.  Your  converts  have  more  enthusiasm  and  more 
abandon  in  their  efforts  to  reach  others.  Why,  I  have  mar- 
veled to  see  a  poor  peasant  talk  about  Christ  with  all  the 
frankness  and  passion  of  his  soul  to  people  who  ordinarily 
would  not  listen  to  such  a  man,  but  they  could  not  help 
appreciating  his  earnestness  and  conviction.  Our  men,  sub- 
ject as  they  are  to  the  social  barriers  and  class  distinctions, 
do  not  dare  approach  any  save  those  in  their  own  class. 
But  even  then  they  do  not  compare  with  the  converts  from 
America.  Your  converts  have  more  living  faith;  they  are 
willing  to  take  God  at  his  word.  They  are  willing  to  make 
sacrifices  for  their  religion.  Your  Protestant  atmosphere 
puts  iron  into  the  blood  of  our  Italians  when  they  are  con- 
verted. 

"Then,  too,"  he  added,  "having  come  in  contact  with 
American  Christianity,  they  have  higher  ideals  for  their 
private  life.  We  find  that  many  of  the  converts  from 
America  believe  that  it  is  not  right  to  drink  or  smoke.  They 
have  ideas  of  the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath  which  are  diffi- 
cult for  us  here  to  attain,  and  I  believe  they  have  in  general 
a  clearer  conception  of  the  value  of  truth.  Tell  your  people 
in  America  that  the  best  way  for  them  to  convert  Italy  is 
for  them  to  convert  the  Italians  in  America.  The  man 


94  SONS  OF  ITALY 

who  is  converted  in  America  cannot  keep  still.  Through 
letters  and  visits  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  getting  a  large 
hearing  here  in  Italy." 

SUMMARY  OF  PROTESTANT  WORK  IN  ITALY 

The  work  accomplished  by  the  evangelicals  may  be  briefly 
summarized.  There  are  at  present  about  25,000  Protestant 
church-members,  a  majority  of  whom  are  in  the  Waldensian 
valleys,  about  200  church  organizations,  a  still  larger  num- 
ber of  mission  stations,  three  theological  schools,  a  goodly 
number  of  day  and  night  schools,  about  200  Sunday-schools, 
three  publishing  houses,  six  newspapers,  two  religious  re- 
views, several  orphanages,  Bible  women  and  colporteurs. 
The  work  up  to  the  present  has  been  extensive  rather  than 
intensive.  The  churches  generally  have  little  prospect  of 
immediate  self-support. 

GENERAL  EFFECT  OF  PROTESTANT  WORK  IN  ITALY 

The  efficacy  and  reach  of  forty-six  years  of  Protestant 
effort  by  the  various  religious  bodies  at  work  in  Italy  are 
not  to  be  measured  by  the  actual  results  attained  in  the 
number  of  converts.  The  total  annual  increase  is  small 
compared  with  the  sum  spent,  but  there  are  results  of  the 
Protestant  propaganda  in  Italy  which  cannot  be  fairly  tabu- 
lated. 

It  is  fair  to  state  that  the  presence  of  the  Protestant 
church  in  Italy,  with  its  schools,  its  religious  press,  its  public 
addresses,  and  the  free  distribution  of  the  Bible,  has  been  a 
very  large  factor  in  bringing  about  the  modernist  move- 
ment. The  existence  of  the  Waldensian,  Methodist,  and 
Baptist  churches  in  that  country  has  served  as  a  strong  pro- 
test to  existing  institutions  and  unfounded  pretensions.  This 
has  all  tended  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  that 
there  are  conceptions  of  religion  other  than  those  maintained 


RELIGIOUS  BACKGROUNDS  95 

by  the  Roman  Church.  Little  by  little,  English  and  Ger- 
man works  on  modern  religious  views  were  translated  and 
put  on  sale  in  the  chief  book-stores  of  Rome.  While  great 
care  has  been  observed  that  heretical  literature  be  kept  from 
the  reach  of  the  priests,  ideas  and  views  once  set  in  motion 
cannot  be  completely  smothered.  The  results  of  modern 
Biblical  criticism  have  found  their  way  into  the  hands  of 
not  only  the  cultured  laity  but  also  the  cultured  prelates. 

One  of  the  evident  results  of  Protestantism  in  Italy  has 
been  the  publication  of  the  Gospels  and  the  Book  of  Acts 
in  the  Italian  language  by  the  Society  of  St.  Gerolamo, 
which  was  organized  for  that  special  purpose  within  the 
Roman  Church  itself.  Several  popes  prior  to  1889  had 
declared  it  to  be  a  sin  for  the  laity  to  read  the  Bible.  As 
late  as  1869,  persons  were  arrested  within  the  papal  states 
for  presuming  to  read  the  Bible,  even  in  family  worship. 
Travelers  were  searched  as  they  entered  Rome,  and  if  they 
possessed  Bibles,  the  books  were  confiscated.  Both  Pope 
Pius  IX  and  Leo  XIII  declared  ex  cathedra  that  it  was 
unlawful  for  Catholics  to  read  the  Bible. 

But  in  1898  Leo  XIII  sanctioned  the  establishment  of 
the  Society  of  San  Gerolamo,  for  the  above-mentioned  pur- 
pose, and  in  the  preface  of  that  publication  each  Catholic  is 
promised  one  hundred  days'  indulgence  if  he  reads  the  gospel 
each  day.  What  brought  about  the  change  in  attitude?  It 
certainly  was  not  the  conviction  that  the  Gospels  are  an 
indispensable  help  to  the  religious  life.  The  change  was 
caused  by  the  Protestant  propaganda,  the  preaching  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season  that  the  preachers  were  not  proclaim- 
ing their  own  thoughts  but  the  word  of  God.  With  time 
this  had  its  impression.  Faithful  Romanists  insisted  on 
having  the  word  of  God  too. 

The  results  of  the  experiment  were  not  favorable  to 
Catholicism.  People  became  too  inquisitive.  The  Protes- 
tants bought  up  thousands  of  copies  and  distributed  them 
free  of  charge  to  the  people.  In  a  few  years  over  4,000,000 


96  SONS  OF  ITALY 

copies  were  taken  up  and  other  millions  could  have  been 
used,  but  suddenly  the  society  was  suppressed,  and  not  an- 
other copy  is  now  available.  The  Roman  hierarchy  had 
learned  to  its  sorrow  that,  even  when  annotated,  the  free- 
dom of  the  word  of  God  proves  disastrous  to  the  Roman 
institutions.  Garibaldi  had  said  years  before  that  the  open 
Bible  was  the  mightiest  weapon  against  the  pretensions  and 
aggressions  of  Rome. 


IV 
THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN 


What  do  you  suppose  this  undesirable  immigrant  thinks  of 
America  and  Protestant  Christianity?  What  has  he  reason  to 
think  in  the  light  of  his  previous  dreams  and  present  realiza- 
tions? What  does  Protestant  Christianity  do  for  him  from  the 
time  he  reaches  America?  What  will  he  learn  of  our  free  in- 
stitutions in  the  tenement  slums  or  labor  camps,  or  from  "bosses" 
who  treat  him  as  cattle,  that  will  teach  him  to  prize  American 
citizenship,  desire  religious  liberty,  or  lead  a  sober,  respectable 
life?  If  we  are  in  earnest  about  the  evangelization  of  the 
immigrant  we  must  put  ourselves  in  his  place  occasionally,  and 
get  his  point  of  view. 

— H.  B.  Grose,  Aliens  or  Americans? 

THE  FLOWER  FACTORY 

Lisabetta,  Marianina,  Fiametta,  Teresina, 

They  are  winding  stems  of  roses,  one  by  one,  one  by  one — 

Little   children   who   have   never    learned   to   play: 

Teresina   softly   crying   that   her   fingers   ache   to-day, 

Tiny   Fiametta   nodding  when   the   twilight   slips   in,   gray. 

High  above  the  clattering  street,  ambulance  and  fire-gong  beat, 

They  sit,   curling  crimson  petals,   one   by  one,   one   by   one. 

Lisabetta,    Marianina,    Fiametta,    Teresina, 

They  have   never   seen   a   rose-bush   nor   a   dewdrop   in   the   sun. 

They   will    dream   of    the   vendetta,    Teresina,    Fiametta, 

Of  a  Black  Hand  and  a  face  behind  a  grating; 

They  will   dream  of  cotton   petals,   endless,   crimson,    suffocating, 

Never  of  a  wild-rose  thicket  nor  the  singing  of  a  cricket, 

But   the    ambulance   will    bellow   through   the    wanness    of    their 

dreams. 
And  their  tired  lids  vrill  flutter  with  the  street's  hysteric  screams. 

Lisabetta,  Marianina,  Fiametta,  Teresina, 

They  are  winding  stems  of  roses,  one  by  one,   one  by  one, 

Let  them  have   a   long,   long  play-time,   Lord  of  Toil,   when   toil 

is  done ! 
Fill  their  baby  hands  with  roses,  joyous  roses  of  the   sun. 

— Florence   Wilkinson. 


IV 

THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN 

To  a  spectator  in  the  visitor's  gallery  at  Ellis  Island, 
watching  the  long  lines  of  strange  peoples  coming  up  from 
the  barge  and  filing  slowly  through  the  aisles  in  the  hall 
below,  come  inevitably  the  questions:  Where  do  they  come 
from?  What  was  their  life  in  the  old  world?  Why  have 
they  come  here?  What  is  this  one's  ambition,  that  one's 
purpose?  What  awaits  them?  Will  it  be  as  they  hope, 
something  better  than  they  have  ever  known,  or  will  they 
wage  here  a  losing  fight  with  poverty,  lack  of  governmental 
protection,  and  injustice? 

DISADVANTAGES  IN  ITALY 
Poverty 

Our  Italian  immigrants  are  largely  from  southern  Italy 
where  centuries  of  oppression,  misrule,  and  neglect  have 
brought  about  abject  poverty.  For  two  thousand  years  Italy 
has  been  a  prize  for  which  many  nations  have  contended. 
Greeks,  Romans,  Saracens,  Goths,  Normans,  Spaniards, 
French,  and  Austrians,  each  in  turn,  have  coveted  the  spot. 
It  formed  a  domain  which  has  been  divided,  united,  and 
subdivided  again,  and  handed  over  from  one  prince  to  an- 
other oftener  than  any  other  state  in  Europe.  Never  until 
the  wars  of  liberation  which  resulted  in  a  united  and  inde- 
pendent Italy  forty-six  years  ago,  did  those  in  power  have 
the  slightest  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the  people.  Their 
only  consideration  had  been  to  exploit  them.  On  the  one 

99 


ioo  SONS  OF  ITALY 

side  the  great  land  barons,  whose  holdings  date  from  feudal 
times  when  the  peasants  gladly  entrusted  their  land  to  the 
great  lord  in  return  for  protection  in  his  castle  or  leader- 
ship in  times  of  war;  on  the  other,  the  Roman  Church — 
together  making  it  impossible  for  the  peasants  to  gain  more 
than  a  scanty  living  from  the  soil.  In  summer  when  fruits 
and  vegetables  abound  there  is  little  actual  hunger,  but  in 
many  a  peasant  home  one  meal  a  day  is  the  rule  in  the 
winter.  In  addition  to  high  rents  to  be  paid  to  the  land- 
lord, or  low  wages  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  cents  a  day  if  he 
worked  for  the  landowner,  the  peasant  had  many  religious 
obligations  to  meet,  all  of  which  cost  money,  and  then  if  he 
had  anything  left,  taxes  would  surely  take  it.  Italy  entered 
the  world  of  nations  a  poor  country,  with  all  the  needs  but 
few  of  the  resources  of  a  modern  European  state.  She  has 
made  rapid  strides,  as  we  saw  in  Chapter  II,  in  creating  a 
first-class  army  and  navy  and  building  thousands  of  miles 
of  railroads,  in  matters  of  public  health,  in  education,  in 
encouraging  art,  music,  and  physical  training,  but  all  these 
require  vast  sums  of  money,  and  these  she  has  raised  by  an 
established  and  minute  system  of  taxation  which  Prof.  Vil- 
lari  calls  "progressive  taxation,  topsy-turvy — the  less  a  man 
has  the  more  he  pays."  On  the  theory  that  each  must  do 
his  share  equally,  all  necessities  are  taxed  and  all  luxuries 
exempted.  But  how  does  it  work  out?  The  rich  landlord 
pays  no  tax  on  his  riding  horses,  but  the  poor  peasant  is 
taxed  for  his  donkey,  his  necessary  beast  of  burden.  Works 
of  art  are,  of  course,  exempt,  while  the  peasant  must  pay  a 
tax  on  everything  he  raises  and  everything  he  buys.  Under 
such  circumstances  it  is  almost  impossible  to  save  and  to 
rise  in  the  world. 

Social  Status 

Even  if  a  peasant,  working  early  and  late,  and  blessed 
with  many  sons  to  help  him,  succeeds  in  earning  enough  to 
buy  a  piece  of  land  and  have  some  measure  (4  comfort,  the 


Copyright  (.Upper),  Underwood  &•  Underwood 

THE  AMERICANIZATION  OF  THE  HOME 

An  Italian  Tenement  Family 
An  Italian  Baptist  Deacon  and  His  Family 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  101 

social  distinctions  are  so  strong  and  firmly  fixed  in  Italy 
that  he  must  be  a  man  of  extraordinary  genius,  a  Garibaldi, 
who  can  rise  above  them.  The  peasants  bow  humbly  to  the 
signori  and  make  way  for  them  if  they  wish  to  pass.  No 
gentleman  thinks  of  carrying  his  own  bag  or  any  parcel  in 
Italy,  only  peasants  and  facchini  carry  luggage,  and  they 
are  often  loaded  down  like  beasts  of  burden.  A  peasant 
can  never  hope  to  be  anything  more  than  a  peasant  in  his 
native  land. 

Lack  of  Education 

There  has  been  little  attention  paid  to  education  in  the 
south  until  recent  years.  Here,  as  in  the  economic  and 
social  life,  the  greatest  contrasts  are  found.  Emigration  to 
America  has  created  a  desire,  however,  to  know  how  to 
read  and  write  well  enough  to  answer  the  letters  from 
America.  When  this  is  acquired  the  children  leave  school. 
I  found  one  town  with  hundreds  of  children  in  school,  yet 
only  six  in  the  sixth  grade.  Italian  statesmen  are  greatly 
interested  in  the  passage  of  the  Burnett  bill  with  its  literacy 
test  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  Says  one  writer, 
"It  may  help  to  solve  our  problem  of  rural  education.  If 
a  man  must  read  and  write  to  enter  America,  the  peasants 
will  demand  that  the  communes  furnish  them  schools." 

These,  then,  are  the  conditions  that  cause  thousands  of 
able-bodied  young  Italians  to  leave  home  and  try  their  for- 
tunes across  the  sea. 


UNEQUAL  OPPORTUNITIES  IN  AMERICA 

The  place  the  Italian  is  making  for  himself  in  America 
is  an  indication  of  his  persistent  industry  and  genuine  worth. 
Only  those  intimately  acquainted  with  his  life  can  know  the 
fierce  struggle  and  the  difficulties  met  and  conquered  in  the 
new  world. 


I02  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Ignorance  of  Language 

Ignorance  of  our  language  and  the  lack  of  a  good  general 
education  are  serious  handicaps,  but,  in  addition,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  immigrants  come  from  country  towns.  They 
are  agricultural  workers  and,  coming  to  the  cities,  must  take 
the  heaviest,  poorest-paid  work  which  requires  no  skill, 
Their  predecessors  from  northern  Europe  look  upon  them 
with  dislike.  It  is  true  they  have  pushed  the  Irishman  up 
and  out  of  the  ditches,  and  have  taken  from  him  the  job  of 
building  the  railroads  and  cleaning  the  city  streets.  But 
they  have  done  this  through  no  "pull,"  but  because  they 
are  better  workers,  steady,  sober,  faithful,  and  less  trouble- 
some. They  accept  a  lower  wage,  but  that  is  because  $1.50 
looks  large  to  an  Italian  who  earned  twenty  cents  a  day  in 
Italy.  Even  if  he  realizes  that  this  wage  is  small  for  his 
needs  here,  he  is  so  eager  to  work  and  so  afraid  of  being 
idle  that  he  will  take  what  he  can  get. 

If  a  skilled  mechanic,  student,  or  literary  man  comes  over 
here,  unless  he  finds  employment  with  an  Italian  firm,  he  is 
also  greatly  handicapped.  I  have  found  skilled  workmen, 
even  a  professor,  digging  in  the  ditch,  and  a  man  who  had 
spent  several  years  in  college,  in  a  factory,  because  they 
knew  no  English. 

Economic  Handicaps 

Two  other  difficulties  that  beset  the  path  of  the  Italian 
are  high  rents  and  irregular  employment.  Low  wages  and 
a  thrifty  desire  to  save  something  compel  the  Italian  when 
he  first  lands  to  find  the  cheapest  shelter.  But  even  this  is 
high  in  proportion  to  his  income,  $13  to  $14  for  three  and 
four  rooms,  $16  to  $21  for  five  and  six  rooms,  and  $5.00  to 
$8.00  for  two  rooms.  Some  pay  from  one  third  to  one  half 
of  their  income  for  rent.  Economists  tell  us  that  not  more 
than  a  sixth  or  a  fifth  should  be  paid.  Irregular  employ- 
ment is  another  obstacle  to  progress.  Several  days  or  even 
weeks  may  elapse  between  digging  in  the  subway  and  build- 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  103 

ing  a  macadam  road,  or  in  a  factory  a  dull  season  will  throw 
hundreds  out  of  employment  for  months.  Then  he  must 
live  on  his  savings,  and  when  these  fail,  he  goes  in  debt  to 
the  provision  store  or  borrows  from  his  friends.  To  his 
credit  it  must  be  said  that,  when  he  finds  work  again,  his 
first  care  is  to  pay  off  his  debts. 

Volumes  might  be  written  on  the  pitiable  conditions  of 
the  tenements  that  thousands  of  Italians  call  homes.  "The 
home  is  the  key  to  good  citizenship."  The  question  is  often 
asked,  "Why  do  these  people  crowd  together  in  the  cities? 
Why  don't  they  go  out  into  the  less  populous  states  and 
find  work?"  The  answer  is  simple.  "Their  ignorance  of 
our  language  constrains  them  to  hard  labor  in  factory  or 
gang  until  they  are  able  to  make  their  services  otherwise 
valuable  to  American  employees.  In  such  work  they  can 
be  readily  directed  by  Italian  foremen,  and  the  average  immi- 
grant shrinks  (is  ashamed,  he  says)  from  exposing  his  ig- 
norance to  any  but  his  own  countrymen.  He  has  reason 
for  this  in  the  common  lack  of  patience  with  his  supposed 
dulness  and  blunders.  I  have  heard  Americans,  otherwise 
apparently  rational,  shout  at  Italians  as  if  bellowing  would 
make  spoken  English  more  intelligible,  and  swear  at  them 
as  if  ignorance  of  English  was  an  unspeakable  offense.  The 
Italian  is  sensitive  to  ridicule  and  feels  the  injustice  of  abuse 
keenly,  whether  he  resents  it  openly  or  not.  Hence  he  is 
slow  to  venture  alone  in  a  strange  community  or  to  seek 
employment  on  a  farm  until  he  is  able  to  speak  English  with 
considerable  fluency  and  has  become  well  acquainted  with 
American  ways  and  requirements.  The  clustering  in  cities 
is  attributable  not  only  to  his  fondness  for  social  life  and 
his  lack  of  money  to  enter  country  life,  but  to  the  lack  of 
invitations  with  any  assurance  of  patience  or  sympathy." 

Clannishnesf 

And  what  is  more  natural  than  this  "clannishness"  of 
which  they  are  accused,  undesirable  as  it  seems?  Were 


104 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


Italians*71 
Greater^ew^rli 


Each  doT  rej»re»<mt« 
1.OOO   Italians 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  105 

five  thousand  Americans  in  Rome,  they  would  be  apt  to 
settle  in  one  quarter  and  do  business  in  that  quarter.  Race 
feeling,  habits,  and  tastes  would  make  this  natural.  It  is 
exactly  the  same  with  Italians.  They  prefer  to  live  among 
their  own  people  if  possible,  and  if  enough  are  in  one  neigh- 
borhood, they  will  continue  to  keep  up  their  distinctive  habits 
and  local  feasts,  a  true  "little  Italy."  If  Italians  are  em- 
ployed in  manufacturing  establishments,  they  seek  lodgings 
near  their  work  to  save  carfares  or  long  walks,  and  for  this 
reason  there  may  be  clusters  of  Italian  tenements  in  widely 
separated  quarters  of  a  city.  Hence  every  large  city  has 
at  least  three  or  four  separate  Italian  colonies,  as  we  call 
them.  Every  rural  Italian  colony  was  established  by  a 
group  of  a  few  families,  five  to  thirty  or  more  from  the 
same  region,  and  as  they  prospered  on  their  farms  letters  to 
the  homeland  brought  friends  and  relatives  to  augment  the 
colony.  It  would  be  impossible  to  launch  such  an  agri- 
cultural colony  in  any  other  way.  As  the  Italians  have 
been  accustomed  to  work  in  the  fields  and  are  successful  in 
farm  life,  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  both  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  the  resources  of  this  country  in  the  South  and 
West,  and  of  relieving  the  poverty  and  moral  menace  of 
the  overcrowded  slum,  to  establish,  under  governmental 
protection,  an  intelligence  bureau  which  would  give  trust- 
worthy information  about  available  land  and  its  suitability 
for  Italian  colony  life.  Although  the  Italian  does  not  state 
his  requirements,  still  he  likes  to  feel  assured  at  least  of 
school  privileges  for  his  children, 

CRIME 

The  worst  enemy  of  the  Italian  has  to  admit  that  he  is 
industrious,  sober,  and  trustworthy,  and  that  he  earns  what 
he  gets.  The  fact  that  he  is  charged  with  committing 
crimes  of  a  violent  character  should  not  prejudice  people 
against  the  entire  Italian  population.  Most  such  crimes  are 


I06  SONS  OF  ITALY 

of  a  momentary  passion  and  are  usually  due  to  drink,  cards, 
and  women.  They  could  be  greatly  reduced,  were  justice 
meted  out  to  every  criminal  and  were  political  influence 
abolished  from  the  judge's  bench.  The  foreigner  has 
learned  the  tricks  of  the  trade  as  they  are  practised  here  in 
America.  He  is  convinced  that  money  will  give  him  exemp- 
tion from  the  law. 

Mafia  and  Camorra 

The  mere  mention  of  these  words  produces  terror  in  the 
minds  of  many  Americans  who  have  the  impression  that 
every  Italian  is  a  member  of  these  dread  organizations  and 
that  they  are  always  seeking  a  favorable  opportunity  to  rob 
or  slay  their  unsuspecting  victim. 

"The  American  people  have  heard  so  much  about  the 
criminal  tendencies  of  the  new  immigration  that  they  have 
come  generally  to  accept  as  gospel  truth  the  oft-repeated 
statements  that  the  aliens  coming  to  America  are  distin- 
guished by  their  criminal  tendencies.  And  yet  every  investi- 
gation that  has  been  made  points  to  the  conclusion  that  if 
there  is  any  difference  between  the  immigrant  and  the  native 
American  in  this  regard  it  is  in  favor  of  the  foreigner  rather 
than  against  him."  i 

Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  the  Italians  in  America  are 
clean  in  life  and  law-abiding,  and  are  themselves  anxious  to 
rid  the  world  of  the  Mafia  pest.  The  chief  reason  why 
many  do  not  cooperate  with  the  police  in  revealing  crime 
and  criminals  is  because  due  punishment  is  rarely  meted  out 
to  the  guilty.  Says  one  writer,  "The  Camorra  is  no  casual 
growth.  It  is  the  almost  inevitable  outcome  of  the  squalid 
misery,  the  physical  degeneration,  the  appalling  wickedness 
of  sections  of  the  Neapolitan  population." 

Professor  Villari  says,  "It  is  the  natural  and  necessary 
form  the  social  state  of  Naples  takes.  The  Mafia  in  its 
true  sense  is  a  group  of  .small  gangs,  each  gang  consisting 

1  Frederick  J.  Raskin,  The  Immigrant,  page  147. 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  107 

of  not  more  than  a  dozen  members.  It  is  a  kind  of  crim- 
inal aristocracy,  rarely  drawn  from  the  very  poor,  gen- 
erally from  men  of  the  smaller  proprietor  or  small  trades- 
men class.  This  form  of  criminal  organization  is  now  found 
only  about  Palermo,  and  the  sulfur  districts  of  Girgenti  and 
Caltanissetta."  1  But  it  is  the  common  opinion  of  Italians 
in  Italy  as  well  as  in  America  that  this  blackmailing  and 
criminal  organization  is  rapidly  disappearing. 

"Italy  is  many  thousand  miles  from  Chicago,  but  Italy 
punishes  criminals  for  crimes  committed  in  Chicago.  It  is 
safer  for  a  Black  Hander  to  murder  in  Chicago  and  stay  in 
Chicago  than  it  is  for  him  to  go  back  to  Italy.  Here,  in  the 
first  place,  he  is  rarely  convicted.  If  he  is  convicted,  it  is 
for  an  indeterminate  sentence,  and  he  is  out  again  in  a  few 
years  on  parole.  But  if  he  goes  back  to  Italy,  he  fairly  steps 
into  the  door  of  a  prison.  And  once  in,  he  remains  in."  2 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  greatest  amount  of  Italian 
crime  is  in  the  cities  where  people  live  huddled  together 
and  children  have  no  playground  but  the  streets  with  their 
lure  of  saloons,  pool-rooms,  and  moving  pictures.  In  the 
country  districts  Italian  crime  is  almost  unknown.  An 
American  living  in  Hammonton,  New  Jersey,  near  a  very 
large  farming  colony  of  Neapolitans,  says  that,  if  out  late  at 
night,  he  has  far  less  fear  of  the  Italians  than  of  some 
toughs  of  his  own  race. 

We  might  also  assist  in  reducing  Italian  criminality  by 
cooperating  with  the  Italian  government  in  preventing  crim- 
inals from  landing  upon  our  shores.  Instead  of  Italy's  open- 
ing her  prison  doors  to  flood  our  country  with  her  criminal 
class,  she  is  making  every  effort  possible  to  keep  them  at 
home.  In  the  first  place,  no  Italian  can  secure  from  his 
government  a  passport  if  he  is  a  fugitive  from  justice;  and 
in  the  second  place,  Italy  furnishes  to  every  prospective  emi- 
grant a  document,  fede  penale,  which  shows  whether  the 

1Villari,  Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country. 

3  Chicago    Tribune. 


I08  SONS  OF  ITALY 

holder  has  ever  committed  a  crime  or  in  any  way  has  come 
under  the  condemnation  of  the  law.  Indeed  Italy  has  gone 
so  far  as  to  spread  the  news  all  over  the  country  that  this 
fede  penale  is  required  of  every  Italian  immigrant  entering 
the  United  States.  Here,  then,  is  a  splendid  opportunity 
for  us  to  protect  ourselves  from  the  criminal  class.  While 
we  have  raved  about  the  Italian  immigrant  and  have  con- 
demned the  entire  Italian  population  in  America,  we  have 
not  been  sensible  enough  to  use  this  simple  expedient  which 
would  have  rid  us  of  all  who  had  already  entered  a  life  of 
crime  before  coming  to  America. 

The  Saloon 

Undoubtedly  the  saloon  or  cafe  plays  too  large  a  part  in 
Italian  life.  In  Italy  every  one,  old  and  young,  drinks  the 
light  grape  wines  freely,  but  there  is  very  little  drunken- 
ness; the  people  are  temperate.  But  in  America,  Italian 
wine  is  too  expensive  to  drink  and  the  cheaper,  intoxicating 
beer  is  used  instead.  The  sociable  nature  of  Italians  and 
the  lack  of  any  other  club  or  gathering  place  draw  many 
to  spend  their  evenings  in  saloons.  Drunkenness,  therefore, 
is  on  the  increase  and  is  one  of  the  evil  influences  of  Ameri- 
can life  which  Italians  carry  back  to  their  native  land. 
Gambling  and  other  games  of  chance  are  some  of  the  chief 
vices  of  Italians.  A  heated  dispute  over  cards  has  frequently 
led  to  the  quick  and  violent  stabbing  affrays  that  the  news- 
papers luridly  publish. 

It  is  a  sad  commentary  on  our  boasted  Americanizing 
precess  that  the  great  majority  of  criminals  in  America 
are  not  the  foreign-born  parents  of  any  race,  but  their 
American-born  descendants.  As  children  they  play  craps 
in  the  streets,  play  truant  from  crowded  schools,  haunt 
saloons  and  pool  parlors,  and  become  infected  with  the 
desire  for  easy  money  by  the  penny  prize  packets  given  with 
candy  or  the  lucky  number  guessing  cards  at  cheap  cigar 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  109 

and  stationery  stores.  They  drift  into  a  gang  under  the 
leadership  of  an  older  boy,  become  cigaret  and  drug  users, 
learn  crime  from  their  leader,  and  do  his  work  for  him  until 
perhaps  one  becomes  strong  enough  to  break  away  and  lead 
a  gang  of  his  own,  when  he  becomes  a  dandy,  swaggering 
about  the  streets  while  members  of  his  gang  commit  the 
crimes  he  plans. 

The  cause  of  this  is  not  hard  to  find.  Apart  from  the 
lure  and  demoralizing  effect  of  life  on  city  streets,  the  real 
reason  is  loss  of  parental  control.  The  child  speaks  one 
language,  the  parent  another.  The  child  put  to  work  at 
fourteen  feels  he  is  grown-up,  is  earning  money,  and  has  a 
right  to  his  own  way.  An  Italian  girl  of  eighteen  suddenly 
left  her  home  and  went  to  board  some  distance  away  with 
strangers.  Her  parents,  aware  of  the  danger  surrounding 
an  unprotected  girl,  besought  me  to  win  her  back  to  her 
family.  I  called  on  the  girl  and  she  told  me  she  could  no 
longer  endure  life  at  home.  She  had  paid  to  have  gas  put 
in  but  her  father  wouldn't  let  her  use  it  at  night.  He 
wanted  to  go  to  bed  early,  neither  would  he  allow  gentle- 
men callers,  and  if  he  saw  her  reading  a  book,  he  took  it 
away  from  her,  fearing  it  was  something  bad.  Then  I 
went  to  her  home  and  explained  to  the  father  the  kind  of 
books  his  daughter  drew  from  the  library  to  read,  and  finally 
won  his  consent  to  permit  his  daughter  to  fix  up  the 
front  room  attractively  as  a  sitting-room  and  receive  her 
friends,  or  use  the  gas  to  read  by  at  night  after  work.  The 
solution  was  the  reunion  of  the  family  life.  We  must  teach 
the  boys  and  girls  to  respect  and  honor  their  parents  and 
to  speak  their  native  tongue  as  well  as  English.  All  workers 
who  expect  to  do  anything  more  than  superficial  work  among 
Italians  should  know  their  language.  This  matter  of  lan- 
guage is  a  wide  gulf  between  parents  and  children.  It  must 
be  bridged  not  only  by  the  parents'  learning  English,  but  by 
the  intelligent  use  of  their  mother  tongue  by  the  children. 
Imagine  the  helplessness  of  a  mother  who  knows  no  English 


IIO  SONS  OF  ITALY 

and  whose  children  feel  that  Italian  is  to  be  despised  and 
cast  aside.  The  children  talk  English  in  the  home  and  even' 
plan  to  disobey  her  before  her  eyes  when  she  has  no  idea 
what  they  are  saying. 

CHILD  LABOR 

Child  labor  is  one  of  the  greatest  handicaps  to  the  progress 
of  the  immigrant  in  America.  Few  realize  how  widespread 
and  injurious  it  is.  Little  children  of  even  four  and  five 
make  artificial  flowers  or  pick  out  the  shelled  nuts  so  attrac- 
tively sold  in  glass  jars.  In  the  glass  industry  in  Pennsyl- 
vania boys  work  at  night,  in  the  berry  fields  of  New  Jersey 
and  New  York,  in  the  canning  factories  shelling  peas  or 
beans,  in  the  cotton  factories  of  the  south  tending  spindles. 
All  these  children,  robbed  of  education,  of  a  chance  for 
healthful  play,  stunted  by  long  hours  of  work  which  is  not 
heavy,  perhaps,  but  tedious  and  mind-deadening,  in  close 
rooms  amid  dust-laden  air,  wear  out  at  an  early  age  and 
become  a  problem  to  organized  society.  The  immigrant 
sacrifices  his  children  because  he  is  ignorant,  short-sighted, 
and  in  desperate  need  of  the  few  pennies  their  efforts  bring 
in.  Child  labor  even  affects  the  'question  of  wages.  The 
cotton  mills  in  Massachusetts  competing  with  the  southern 
mills  which  produce  more  cheaply,  cannot  pay  as  high  wages 
as  they  otherwise  would. 

THE  SOUTHERN  ITALIAN 

In  a  recent  book,  The  Old  World  in  the  New,  Prof. 
Edward  A.  Ross  makes  a  statement  so  surprisingly  unfair 
that  it  cannot  go  unchallenged.  He  says:  "As  immigrants 
their  [the  north  Italians']  superiority  to  other  Italians  is 
generally  recognized.  I  have  yet  to  meet  an  observer  who 
does  not  rate  the  north  Italian  among  us  as  more  intelli- 
gent, reliable,  and  progressive  than  the  south  Italian.  We 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  in 

know  from  statistics  that  he  is  less  turbulent,  less  criminal, 
less  transient;  he  earns  more,  rises  higher  and  acquires  citizen- 
ship sooner.  Yet  only  one  fifth  of  our  Italians  are  from 
north  Italy."  1 

This  is  too  superficial  a  view,  not  borne  out  by  facts  if 
one  studies  Italians  closely  and  intimately.  The  north  Italian 
comes  from  the  better  governed  and  industrially  developed 
part  of  Italy.  The  majority  come  as  skilled  workmen. 
They  are  a  fine,  intelligent,  and  substantial  contribution  to 
our  national  life.  I  know  of  magnificent,  cultured  men 
among  their  number.  But  the  north  Italians  have  weak 
points  as  well  as  their  southern  brothers.  Extremists  and 
anarchism  are  rampant  in  north  Italy,  and  the  north  Italian 
furnishes  us  with  most  of  our  I.  W.  W.  agitators  and 
anarchists.  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  and  Barre,  Vermont, 
frequently  the  scenes  of  "turbulent"  labor  troubles,  are  full 
of  north  Italians,  while  the  peaceful  colonies  of  Hammonton, 
New  Jersey,  Bryan,  Texas,  and  Canastota,  New  York,  are 
settled  by  south  Italians.  The  north  Italians  are  the  hard- 
est, heaviest  drinkers,  and  it  is  well  known  among  police 
officials  that  the  Italian  crook  is  neither  the  northern  nor 
southern  Italian  from  the  country  districts,  but  the  city  man 
who  can  read  and  write.  The  country  people  are,  both  north 
and  south,  warm-hearted,  generous,  law-abiding,  only  seek- 
ing opportunity  to  earn  a  living.  The  causes  of  crime  and 
anarchy  are  not  in  the  nature  of  either  north  or  south 
Italians,  but  are  to  be  found  in  Italian  history,  conquest, 
oppression,  and  injustice  of  the  governing  class — both  church 
and  state. 

Mentality  of  Italians 

As  to  mental  strength,  Mr.  Ross  has  himself  said  that 
only  one  fifth  of  our  Italians  are  from  north  Italy.  The 
following  figures  are  therefore  impressive.  They  are  found 
on  page  31  of  the  volume,  Insane  and  Feeble-minded  in 

The  Old  World  in  the  Kev:,  page  101. 


112 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


Institutions,  prepared  by  the  Census  Bureau  of  1910.  We 
are  not  getting  mental  degenerates  from  Italy,  but  unde- 
veloped brains  and  well-developed  muscles.  The  truth  is 
that  Italians  in  many  instances  degenerate  in  America,  due 
to  heartless  exploitation  by  employers,  high  rents,  crowded 
street  life,  and  the  generally  demoralizing  environment  in 
which  our  neglect  forces  them  to  live. 

FOREIGN-BORN  WHITE 


Country  of  Birth 

In  Total 
Population, 
1910 

In  Hospitals  for  the  Insane,  1910 

Enumerated  on 
January  I 

Admitted  Dur- 
ing the  Year 

Number 

Per 

100,000 

Number 

Per 
100,000 

Total  

13,345,545 

1,670,545 
810,987 
385,083 
117,236 
2,501,181 
1,219,968 

058,934 
261,034 

1,352,155 
1,313,070 
1,602,752 

1,250,662 
403,858 
665,183 
181,621 

124,834 
967,098 

54,096 

3,935 

2,777 
972 
614 
13,787 
4,555 

3,7o6 
849 

13,174 
1,829 
3,705 

6,442 
2,062 
3,677 
703 

725 
1,554 

405.3 

235-6 
342-3 
352-4 
523.7 
551.2 
373-4 

386.5 
325.2 

974-3 
136.2 
231.2 

5IS.I 
510.6 
552-8 
387.1 

602.4 
160.7 

15,523 

1,552 
1,030 
266 
146 
3,193 
1,445 

1,148 
297 

2,833 
863 
1,709 

1,587 
337 
874 
176 

196 

702 

116.3 

92.9 

127.0 
69.1 
124.5 
127.7 
118.4 

119.7 
113-8 

209.5 
64.3 

106.6 

126.9 
133.0 
131.5 
96.9 

157.0 
72.7 

^Austria-Hungary  

Canada,  English  

France  

Scotland  

Italy  

Scandinavian  countries  

Sweden  

Other  countries-  

*  Includes  Polish  people  who  belong  to  Austria-Hungary,  Germany,  or  Russia,  and 
hence  have  no  separate  enumeration. 

"The  ratios  are  conspicuously  high  for  persons  born  in 
Ireland.  Of  the  natives  of  that  country  974.3  per  100,000 
were  enumerated  in  insane  asylums,  on  January  i,  1910, — 
a  proportion  of  almost  one  per  cent.  At  the  other  extreme 
are  the  natives  of  Italy,  with  a  ratio  of  136.2  per  100,000 
enumerated. 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  113 

"Undoubtedly  the  Irish,  as  compared  with  most  other 
foreign  nationalities,  include  a  much  larger  percentage  of 
old  persons,  because  they  represent  earlier  immigration. 
The  Italians,  on  the  other  hand,  representing  a  recent  immi- 
gration, are  comparatively  young.  But  the  mere  facts  of 
age  can  hardly  be  the  complete  explanation  of  the  marked 
contrast  between  these  two  nationalities  as  regards  propor- 
tion of  insane  persons  committed  to  asylums,  and  in  general 
this  factor  probably  does  not  go  very  far  toward  explaining 
the  variations  in  ratios  for  other  nationalities.  .  .  .  On  ex- 
amination the  table  shows  that  Italians  have  the  lowest  per 
cent,  of  insanity  of  any  race  admitted  to  the  country" 

Mr.  Ross  accuses  the  south  Italian  of  emotional  insta- 
bility. He  should  remember  the  undeveloped  childlikeness 
of  the  south  Italian.  He  is  credulous,  responsive,  warm- 
hearted, generous,  happy  as  a  child,  as  easily  pleased  or  hurt, 
and  some  very  thoughtful  people  consider  this  lack  of  self- 
consciousness  his  chief  charm.  Repression  and  self-control 
all  come  with  education,  and  sometimes  also,  unfortunately, 
a  loss  of  spontaneous,  warm-hearted  sympathy.  One  meets 
from  south  Italy  many  cultured  Italians  of  calm,  impassive 
bearing  who  hide  their  thoughts  and  feelings  as  completely 
as  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

The  south  Italian  is  illiterate,  but  not  unintelligent. 
Traces  of  the  "divine  fire"  of  a  race'  largely  Pelasgic  in 
south  Italy,  a  race  that  has  produced  the  greatest  genius  the 
world  has  ever  seen,  still  persist  and  only  await  favorable 
environment  to  flash  out  and  enrich  our  life.  Said  a  hard- 
headed  business  man  to  Prof.  Steiner,  "These  dagos  are  an 
ignorant  lot."  "Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "but  they  are  of  the 
same  race  as  Tasso,  Dante,  Verdi,  Garibaldi,  and  Cavour." 
"Oh,  come  now,  they  aren't  Tassos  or  Garibaldis."  "No; 
neither  are  you  George  Washington  or  Lincoln."  If  we 
call  the  roll  of  modern  times,  we  find  that  the  great  poet 
D'Annunzio,  the  philosopher  Benedetto  Croce,  among 
musicians  such  names  as  Arrigo  Boito,  Mascagni,  Giacomo 


u4  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Puccini,  Paolo  Tosti,  Ruggiero  Leoncavallo,  and  scores  of 
lesser  men  are  all  southern  Italians.  In  fact,  if  one  talks 
with  an  Italian  he  will  tell  you  frankly  that  most  of  the 
artists,  poets,  and  musicians  are  from  southern  Italy,  Cala- 
bria, the  Neapolitan  district,  and  the  Abruzzi,  the  home  of 
the  great  genre  painter,  Francesco  Paolo  Michetti.  Antonio 
Salandra,  called  the  "greatest  Italian  statesman  since  Cavour 
and  Crispi,"  is  a  native  of  Apulia.  Says  a  foreigner  in 
Rome,  "He  has  no  air  or  pretension.  Italian  people  love 
him;  he  personifies  their  best  characteristics,  strength  with- 
out arrogance,  craft  without  malignity."  * 

Surround  the  Italian  with  the  best,  not  the  worst  influ- 
ence; present  the  highest,  not  the  lowest  ideals  in  our 
American  life;  and  to  lend  purpose  and  inspiration  to  his 
life,  give  him  the  simple  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — he  will 
respond!  The  Italian  is  an  idealist;  he  suffers  the  life  of 
railroad  camps,  to  send  back  money  to  his  loved  ones  in 
Italy.  Savonarola  would  not  compromise  his  ideal  of  right- 
eousness for  Alexander  VI,  and  he  died  as  a  consequence. 
To-day  the  hundreds  of  ex-communicated  modernists,  men 
of  culture  seeking  for  the  most  part  a  moral  regeneration 
of  their  mother  church,  stand  firm  for  their  ideals  of  the 
separation  of  church  and  state  and  of  religion  as  a  spiritual 
and  moral  life.  The  martyrs  of  yesterday,  the  thousands  of 
valiant  lives  that  fought  for  Italian  unity,  the  hardships 
that  I  see  endured  in  many  an  Italian  home  for  the  sake  of 
the  children,  the  great  missionary  zeal  of  our  converts — all 
exhibit  this  fine  national  trait  of  devotion  to  something  out- 
side the  personal  interests  of  the  individual.  Shall  we  not, 
as  Christian  brothers,  give  this  quality  of  enthusiastic  devo- 
tion a  worthy  object,  Jesus  Christ  and  the  establishment  of 
his  kingdom  upon  earth  ? 

1  Helen  Zimmern,  Italian  Leaders  of  To-day. 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  115 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  AMBITIOUS 

While  there  are  too  many  of  the  second  generation  who 
go  to  recruit  the  hoodlum  and  the  prison  class,  there  is  a 
large  percentage  who  are  in  attendance  at  our  high  schools 
and  colleges.  In  one  high  school  in  Buffalo,  New  York, 
200  sons  and  daughters  of  Italy  form  the  Italian  club  of 
that  school,  while  Brown,  Colgate,  Princeton,  Syracuse, 
Yale,  Harvard,  Chicago,  and  Leland  Stanford  have  repre- 
sentations of  Italian  students.  A  young  fellow  from  the 
Calabrian  hills,  without  any  one  to  back  him,  has  been 
able  to  secure  his  preparatory  training  and  college  course 
by  performing  any  job  offered  him.  He  is  to  graduate  from 
Colgate  soon  and  he  will  either  teach  or  do  social  work 
among  his  own  countrymen.  Another  brilliant  young  fel- 
low, a  Sicilian,  graduated  from  Columbia  recently  at  the 
head  of  his  class.  Another  in  one  of  our  well-known  uni- 
versities received  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  key,  being  the  third 
man  in  a  class  of  eighty-four,  and  completing  his  course 
four  months  ahead  of  his  class. 

Throughout  the  entire  country  Italians  are  to  be  found 
in  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  Dr.  Antonio  Stella, 
doubtless  the  best  known  and  most  efficient  Italian  physician 
in  this  country,  has  an  enviable  standing  among  American 
doctors.  Mr.  Francolini,  the  president  of  the  Italian  Na- 
tional Bank,  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  New  York  City. 

Forging  Ahead 

When  we  consider  the  lack  of  opportunity  the  Italian 
has  had  in  his  own  land  and  his  ignorance  of  our  language 
and  business  methods,  and  then  see  him  forge  ahead  among 
people  who  are  more  highly  developed,  we  realize  he  Jias 
qualities  which  make  him  a  desirable  citizen.  A  Calabrian 
peasant  came  to  New  York  several  years  ago  and  finally 
secured  a  position  in  the  street-cleaning  force.  He  and  his 


u6  SONS  OF  ITALY 

wife  lived  frugally,  brought  up  a  family  of  six  children, 
and  saved  a  tidy  sum  yearly.  In  time  he  was  able  to  buy  a 
little  place  near  a  Connecticut  city.  He  has  a  comfortable 
house  and  a  good  garden  which  he  diligently  works.  Two 
sons  are  now  in  good  positions,  the  two  older  girls  have 
been  through  high  and  normal  school  and  are  teaching,  and 
the  younger  children  are  still  in  school.  It  does  one's  heart 
good  to  see  the  happy  content  of  this  successful  family. 

Another  man  from  the  Basilicata,  unskilled  in  any  trade, 
had  an  ear  for  music.  He  had  never  been  taught  and  could 
not  read  a  note,  but  he  picked  up  harp-playing  by  ear,  and 
strolled  over  France,  Spain,  and  our  central,  Southern,  and 
Eastern  states,  carrying  his  harp  on  his  back.  His  faithful, 
plucky  wife  went  with  him.  Once  when  he  had  saved  a 
small  sum  of  money,  he  bought  a  little  farm  in  South  Caro- 
lina, hoping  to  settle  down  there.  It  was  after  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  and  feeling  against  all  strangers  was  high. 
He  returned  one  evening  to  find  the  dread  warning  of  the 
Ku  Klux  graphically  pictured  on  his  door  and  he  fled  that 
night  with  wife  and  child.  A  second  time  he  saved  money 
and  invested  it  in  a  home  farther  north,  only  to  be  warned 
out  of  town  by  the  country-folk,  who  were  afraid  of  the 
dark-skinned  foreigner  whom  they  held  to  be  a  potential 
thief  and  murderer.  Penniless,  he  again  faced  the  world 
with  his  wife,  children,  and  harp.  He  finally  settled  in 
Brooklyn,  where  to-day  he  is  living  on  the  income  of  his 
three  houses,  a  genial  old  man,  full  of  jokes  and  stories  of 
his  travels,  a  great  favorite  with  young  people  because  of 
his  ability  to  see  the  human  side  of  everything.  One  of  his 
sons  holds  a  paymaster's  position  with  a  big  railroad  com- 
pany, another  has  graduated  from  college,  has  recently 
taken  his  master's  degree,  and  is  teaching.  Twenty  years 
ago  no  one  would  have  dreamed  such  a  future  for  the  sons 
of  the  strolling  harp-player.  It  is  only  in  America  that  such 
development  is  possible. 

Says  Professor  Costa  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 


TWO  STREETS  IN  PROVIDENCE,  RHODE  ISLAND 

Atwell  Avenue,  Wholly  Owned  by  Italians 
Broadway,  an  Italian  Residence  Street 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  117 

York,  "During  my  experience  of  fourteen  years  as  an  in- 
structor at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  I  had 
occasion  to  consider  the  work  and  general  intelligence  of 
many  Italian  students,  of  whom  only  a  small  percentage 
originated  from  the  northern  provinces  of  Italy.  I  have 
never  noticed  the  least  superiority  of  intelligence  and  gen- 
eral culture  of  the  latter  over  those  of  the  south  of  Italy. 
The  south  Italians  proved  not  only  bright  and  studious 
pupils,  but  also  good-natured  and  easily  amenable  to  disci- 
pline. They  were  and  are  very  popular  with  the  other 
students,  and  not  a  few  of  them  were  elected  to  office  in  the 
various  student  organizations." 

"He  who  would  find  the  face  of  an  Italian  burglar  in 
the  'rogues'  gallery'  must  take  his  microscope  with  him," 
says  Elliot  Crawford  in  the  Bankasine.  "He  might  find 
some  juvenile  Italian- American  pickpocket,  and  thereby 
hangs  a  tale  of  East  Side  environment.  Nor  does  the  Italian 
stay  long,  not  more  than  one  generation,  in  the  ranks  of 
common  laborer." 

THE  ARTS  AND  CRAFTS 

In  every  large  city  there  are  also  to  be  found  skilled 
Italian  cabinet-makers,  picture  frame-makers,  wood-carvers, 
and  frescoers,  of  a  high  degree  of  excellence  in  workman- 
ship. There  is  also  an  increasing  number  of  sculptors  and 
artists  as  well  as  musicians.  "The  handiwork  of  naturalized 
Italians  as  well  as  of  their  children  born  in  this  country 
may  be  seen  in  pictures,  statuary,  and  rural  decorations 
adorning  many  fine  residences  in  America.  Although  the 
great  mass  of  the  immigrants  has  been  made  up  of  the  poor, 
ill-educated  cafont  and  farm  laborers,  it  is  noteworthy  how 
surely  the  innate  artistic  powers  of  the  stock  come  to  light 
and  expand  in  the  attainments  of  their  children  under  the 
culturing  influence  of  our  schools  of  design." 

Several  of  the  women  and  girls  are  expert  dress  designers, 


Il8  SONS  OF  ITALY 

one  woman  I  know  receiving  $75  a  wee^  ror  her  work  in 
style  designing.  Even  among  the  very  poor,  one  will  fre- 
quently come  upon  girls  and  women  tastefully  dressed,  who 
cut  and  make  their  own  clothes  without  patterns,  copying 
what  they  see  in  store  windows.  Every  Italian  quarter  has 
its  own  macaroni  factory,  its  bakers,  confectioners,  shop- 
keepers, musicians,  and  makers  of  plaster  casts.  $800,000 
worth  of  saints  are  made  yearly  in  New  York  both  for  use 
at  home  and  in  the  street  parades  on  saints'  days. 

SAVINGS 

Italians  are  distinguished  not  only  for  their  industry  and 
fidelity  to  their  work,  but  also  for  their  thrift  in  saving  with 
the  ambition  to  rise  in  the  world.  A  conservative  estimate 
of  the  value  of  real  estate  owned  by  Italians  in  New  York 
City  is  close  to  $100,000,000,  and  this  is  proportionately 
not  as  much  as  in  St.  Louis,  Boston,  and  San  Francisco.  In 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  Italians  own  all  of  Federal  Hill 
and  property  on  both  sides  of  the  busy  thoroughfare,  Broad- 
way. Italian-owned  factories  in  Paterson  and  Hackensack 
produce  $12,000,000  worth  of  silk  annually. 

Every  quarter  also  has  its  own  banks,  but  since  many  of 
these  private  bankers  charge  exorbitant  fees  for  forwarding 
money  to  Italy,  and  they  frequently  abscond,  taking  their 
clients'  savings,  Italians  are  beginning  to  place  their  de- 
posits in  regularly  organized  banking  institutions,  both 
Italian  and  American. 

The  Italians  have  almost  a  monopoly  of  the  fruit,  cheese, 
oil,  and  macaroni  importing  business,  and  their  boards  of 
commerce  contain  many  wealthy  men.  In  Greater  New 
York  there  are  3,000  fruit-stores  owned  by  Italians,  and 
the  Italian  wholesale  merchants  import  $3,000,000  worth 
of  lemons  and  oranges  a  year,  besides  $5,046,000  worth  of 
oil,  wine,  cheese,  macaroni,  and  chestnuts.  Quantities  of 
Italian  marbles  and  chemicals  are  also  imported.  They  own 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  119 

10,000  stores  in  New  York  alone,  whose  combined  valua- 
tion is  $7,000,000,  and  many  millions  more  are  on  deposit 
in  city  savings  banks. 

Landlords  consider  Italians  good  tenants.  They  pay  their 
rent  promptly  and  seldom  complain  about  anything.  In 
localities  where  they  settle  and  buy  property,  real  estate 
increases  in  value.  In  Rochester,  New  York,  property  in 
the  section  occupied  by  Italians  was  almost  given  away. 
To-day  it  has  increased  500  per  cent,  in  value.  The  Tene- 
ment House  Department  of  New  York  declares  that  the 
tenements  in  the  Italian  quarters  are  much  cleaner  than  in 
Jewish  or  Irish  tenement  districts.  The  Italian  settlement 
has  assuredly  increased  property  values  and  bettered  the 
average  moral  character  of  the  districts.  Malodorous  Mul- 
berry street,  for  example,  has  been  practically  redeemed 
within  the  last  ten  years.  Many  new  tenements  with  mod- 
ern conveniences  have  been  erected  throughout  this  section, 
built,  owned  and  tenanted  by  Italians.  Fifteen  years  ago, 
before  the  Italian  influx,  twenty-five-foot  tenements  were 
worth  $10,000  to  $15,000.  They  are  now  worth  $40,000. 

The  testimony  of  those  who  have  had  business  relations 
with  the  Italian  is  that  he  always  pays  up  to  the  last  cent. 
Said  a  milkman  in  a  large  foreign  quarter,  "The  Italians 
are  the  best  customers.  They  always  pay  for  their  milk, 
and  if  they  have  no  money,  they  stop  the  milk;  we  never 
lose  a  cent  from  Italians."  Bakers,  butchers,  and  drug-stores 
are  ready  to  trust  an  Italian  who  is  in  hard  luck,  for  he 
always  pays  sooner  or  later.  In  a  New  Jersey  town  the 
proprietor  of  a  large  store  gives  credit  only  to  Italians. 
Said  he,  "We  know  they  always  pay.  Once  an  Italian 
woman  left  town  without  paying  her  bill  here.  When  the 
Italians  heard  of  it,  they  made  up  the  sum  and  gave  it  to 
the  store,  saying  they  wished  to  keep  the  Italian  name  free 
from  stain."  In  Vineland,  New  Jersey,  the  banks  are  al- 
ways ready  to  discount  Italian  notes,  and  all  the  stores  gladly 


I20  SONS  OF  ITALY 

give  them  credit  throughout  the  entire  year,  knowing  they 
will  pay  when  their  crops  are  sold. 

I  have  known  bright  boys  to  leave  school  and  go  to  work 
because  their  fathers  had  had  hard  luck  or  illness  or  were 
out  of  work  and  "made  debts"  which  must  be  paid  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  normal  Italian  cannot  rest  happy  if  he 
owes  any  one  money.  An  Italian  in  another  Jersey  town 
refused  to  put  running  water  or  any  convenience  in  his  new 
house  until  he  had  repaid  a  loan  made  him  by  a  friendly 
American. 

It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  Italian  self-respect  that,  in 
spite  of  low  wages,  less  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  of 
the  Italian  population  seeks  charitable  aid;  this  percentage 
was  abnormally  increased  when  Italy  entered  the  Great 
War,  because  so  many  reservists  left  dependent  families  here 
for  the  Italian  Red  Cross  and  Figli  d'ltalla  to  care  for. 
Further,  the  census  report  of  1910  shows  the  number  of 
Italians  in  public  almshouses  and  charitable  institutions  to 
be  only  one  tenth  of  one  per  cent,  per  100,000  of  the  popula- 
tion, the  smallest  percentage  for  any  foreign  race  in  America. 

NATURALIZATION 

Until  three  years  ago,  there  was  no  universal  manhood  suf- 
frage in  Italy.  Ability  to  read  and  write  and  the  possession  of 
property  constituted  the  necessary  qualifications  of  a  voter; 
all  others  were  debarred.  Consequently,  from  sixty  to 
eighty  per  cent,  of  the  population  have  had  no  share  in 
the  government  and  are  not  particularly  interested  in  it 
when  they  come  here.  Even  when  a  man  decides  to  apply 
for  his  first  papers,  he  is  told  that  this  is  very  difficult  and 
very  costly,  but  Mr.  B.  makes  a  business  of  it  and  will  make 
the  way  easy  for  him  for  a  consideration  of  $25  to  $50. 
I  have  in  mind  now  a  fine-spirited  Italian  who  has  been  in 
this  country  several  years  and  would  make  a  solid,  reliable 
citizen.  When  I  spoke  to  him  about  it,  he  replied,  "Oh,  no, 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  121 

it  is  too  costly."  He  could  not  afford  to  pay  $50  to  become 
a  citizen.  He  was  greatly  surprised  when  he  learned  that 
the  fee  is  only  $5.00. 

Some  have  been  led  to  take  out  papers  because  it  enabled 
them  to  secure  municipal  employment,  also  because  it  elim- 
inated all  difficulty  in  reentering  America  if  they  wished  to 
return  to  visit  relatives  in  Italy.  Others  are  determined  to 
remain  in  America  and  wish  to  take  part  in  the  life  here 
and  feel  themselves  real  Americans.  The  last  years  have 
seen  a  rapid  change,  and  now  from  one  half  to  two  thirds  of 
all  eligible  adult  Italians  have  become  naturalized.  There 
must  be  500,000  American  citizens  among  our  Italian  popu- 
lation, and  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  the  majority  take  their 
citizenship  seriously  and  would  defend  this  country  as  loy- 
ally as  the  native-born  in  case  of  trouble  with  any  European 
country. 

But  what  is  the  idea  that  America  presents  to  the  Italian 
which  enlists  his  devotion?  It  is  that  there  are  no  social 
castes,  no  hereditary  privileged  classes,  every  man  is  "Mr.," 
and  ability,  not  birth,  speaking  broadly,  advances  men.  The 
public  school  advantages  for  his  children  are  greatly  appre- 
ciated. "Yes,  Mike  and  I  could  go  back  and  live  very  com- 
fortably on  our  little  farm  near  Sorrento,  and  such  fruits 
and  vegetables  as  we  get  there!  But  there  is  no  chance  for 
the  children;  for  their  sakes  we  must  stay  here,"  said  an 
Italian  mother  who  was  ailing  from  the  confinement  of  life 
in  a  small  three-room  tenement  over  a  saloon.  Her  eldest 
son  has  recently  passed  an  examination  entitling  him  to  be  a 
registered  pharmacist. 

Judicial  Discrimination 

And  yet  we  must  face  the  unfortunate  fact  that  wherever 
the  Italian  comes  in  coniact  with  our  political  machinery 
he  is  made  to  feel  that  money  is  the  key  that  unlocks  all 
doors.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  an  Italian  to  secure  gov- 
ernment protection  in  his  rights  or  justice  unless  he  pays 


122  SONS  OF  ITALY 

well  for  it.  Some  time  ago  an  old  man  was  arrested  for 
"hitting"  his  daughter  on  the  street.  The  court  interpreter 
at  once  approached  the  Italian  and  offered  to  get  him  free 
for  a  few  dollars.  The  old  man,  feeling  himself  in  the 
right,  indignantly  refused,  and  when  summoned,  poured  out 
his  tale  in  Italian.  His  wife  was  dead  and  his  pretty  young 
daughter  went  out  evenings  with  a  young  man  whom  he 
considered  dangerous.  The  father  had  argued  with  her  to 
no  avail  and  had  followed  her  out  on  the  street  to  compel 
her  to  return  home  with  him.  The  interpreter  did  not 
bother  to  translate  his  story,  only  adding,  "He  admits  the 
charge,  your  honor."  He  was  fined  $10,  and  an  embittered 
Italian  went  out  of  the  court-room. 

When  a  man  has  been  charged  with  crime  and  is  out  on 
bail,  the  agent  of  the  court  interpreter  has  even  been  known 
to  come  to  his  house  and  tell  him  how  much  money  was 
necessary  to  win  the  interpreter's  assistance — usually  from 
$500  to  $1,000. 

Not  over  three  per  cent,  of  the  trials  of  Italians  for 
murder  result  in  conviction.  Even  in  cases  where  a  man  is 
justly  convicted  of  crime  and  sentenced,  the  professional 
enemy  of  society  goes  to  the  prisoner  and  offers  to  get  him 
out  for  the  sum  of  $500.  The  prisoner's  family  sends  out 
an  appeal.  A  house-to-house  canvass  is  made  and  the  amount 
collected.  The  trick  is  to  get  a  lawyer  who  is  used  to  this 
kind  of  business.  Four  hundred  dollars  goes  to  the  lawyer 
and  $100  to  the  intermediary.  Then  all  the  political  ma- 
chinery of  the  district  begins  to  turn.  From  the  ward  politi- 
cian to  the  state  senator,  influence  is  exerted  to  get  the 
criminal  out  of  prison.  The  lawyer  watches  the  court 
calendar  and  by  postponements  and  delays  the  case  is  only 
brought  to  trial  when  "our  judge"  is  sitting.  The  prisoner 
gets  off  on  some  technicality,  probably  the  chief  witness 
against  him  fails  to  appear,  or,  even  if  the  jury  brings  in  a 
verdict  of  guilty,  the  judge  reviewing  the  evidence  finds 
some  reason  to  suspend  sentence.  The  guilty  man  is  free — 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  123 

money  did  it !  What  respect  can  Italians  have  for  a  govern- 
ment which  tolerates  such  a  state  of  affairs?  Both  in  Italy 
and  in  America  the  Italian  feels  justified  in  "beating"  the 
government.  It  does  not  protect  him;  he  protects  himself 
with  money.  Before  the  Italian  or  any  foreigner  can  have 
proper  regard  for  our  political  institutions,  America  must 
see  to  it  that  they  are  free  from  graft  and  that  protection 
and  justice  are  assured  to  rich  and  poor  alike. 

This  matter  of  court  interpreters,  for  example,  is  calling 
for  instant  action.  There  is  no  standard  of  qualifications 
for  the  position.  Many  of  them  speak  Italian  poorly,  and 
as  far  as  education  goes,  are  not  fit  for  the  place.  These 
positions  are  given  to  particular  friends  of  the  politicians. 
They  wrield  great  power,  the  fate  of  an  accused  man  often 
depending  upon  a  truthful  and  exact  translation  of  what  is 
said.  Only  men  of  high  character  and  unquestioned  integ- 
rity should  have  such  a  responsibility. 

The  Italian  did  not  initiate  this  system  of  political  cor- 
ruption ;  that  was  done  by  his  predecessors,  immigrants  from 
north  Europe,  but  he  easily  falls  into  it.  His  whole  former 
life,  religious,  social,  and  political,  has  been  based  on  the 
aristocratic  principle,  that  of  a  dependent  accepting  favors 
from  the  powerful.  Even  in  religion,  when  he  desires 
favors  from  God  he  does  not  go  directly  to  his  heavenly 
Father,  but  he  makes  his  appeal  through  the  saints,  the 
Madonna,  and  the  priest.  He  is  constantly  asking  some  one 
to  use  his  influence  in  his  behalf.  There  is  little  of  the 
principle  of  give  and  take.  It  is  therefore  natural  for  the 
Italian  to  look  up  to  i  prominenti  in  trouble  and  need,  and 
to  ask  the  help  of  those  who  have  influence  with  the  powers 
that  be.  Finally  he  comes  to  the  luckless  conclusion  that 
justice  does  not  exist,  and  he  frankly  says  anything  can  be 
done  with  money. 

The  Italian  is  continually  coming  into  contact  with  this 
unseen  government.  There  was  a  striking  example  of  this 
in  connection  with  the  endeavor,  on  the  part  of  the  city  of 


134 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


New  York,  to  deport  all  Italians  who  could  be  proven  to 
have  been  criminals  in  Italy  and  whose  residence  in  this  coun- 
try had  not  exceeded  five  years.  The  famous  Italian  detective 
Petrosini  went  to  Italy  to  get  records  and  facts  regarding 
such  as  were  known  or  suspected  of  having  been  criminals. 
He  was  killed  in  the  attempt,  and  his  dead  body  with  a 
bullet  in  it  was  shipped  across  the  ocean.  Two  other  detec- 
tives took  their  lives  in  their  hands  and  went  to  accomplish 
what  Petrosini  failed  to  do.  They  succeeded  in  securing 
the  criminal  records  of  500  Italians  in  this  country,  all  of 
whom  could  have  been  deported.  The  records  are  still  in 
the  hands  of  the  police,  and  the  criminals  are  still  in  America. 
If  we  wish  the  Italians  to  become  good  citizens  who  will 
respect  our  laws  and  institutions,  we  must  convince  them  of 
the  sacredness  of  these  laws  and  institutions. 

Italy  Does  Not  Recognize  Change  of  Allegiance 

For  some  years,  neither  the  Italian  government  nor  lead- 
ing Italians  in  America,  especially  those  who  are  always 
eager  for  honors  from  the  fatherland,  looked  with  favor 
upon  the  rapid  way  in  which  Italians  became  Americanized. 
With  time,  however,  this  attitude  has  changed  and,  during 
the  past  ten  years,  Italians  have  been  urged  to  become 
American  citizens  and  take  part  in  the  political  life  of  the 
nation.  And  yet,  while  this  was  the  decision  of  two  coun- 
cils of  Italian  immigrants,  one  held  in  Rome  and  one  held 
in  Philadelphia,  these  same  councils  voted  to  urge  upon  the 
Italian  government  to  make  the  return  to  Italian  citizenship 
easy.  The  possibility  of  a  dual  citizenship  was  seriously 
considered.  Italy  finds  no  difficulty  in  sanctioning  such  a 
proposition  since  she  does  not  recognize  any  change  of  alle- 
giance on  the  part  of  her  subjects.  My  own  experience 
illustrates  this  statement.  I  am  an  American  citizen,  regu- 
larly naturalized.  I  went  to  Italy  seventeen  years  ago,  with 
naturalization  papers  and  passport  in  my  pocket,  but  when 
I  reached  my  native  town,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-five 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  1*5 

years,  I  was  arrested  and  put  in  prison  for  not  having  pre- 
sented myself  for  military  duty.  When  I  protested  that  I 
was  an  American  citizen,  I  was  told  that  this  did  not  have 
the  slightest  bearing  on  the  case.  I  was  finally  exempted 
from  military  service,  not  because  of  my  American  citizen- 
ship, however,  but  because  of  an  Italian  law  that  prevailed 
prior  to  ten  years  ago,  under  which  law  the  only  male 
descendant  of  a  family-  is  exempt  from  military  duty. 

"The  thousands  of  boys  born  in  this  country  of  Italian 
parents  consider  themselves  Americans,  but  when  they  go  to 
Italy  they  are  there  considered  Italians,  subject  to  the  laws 
of  the  country,  and  liable  to  military  service.  And  if,  when 
called  to  the  colors,  they  do  not  respond,  they  are  considered 
deserters  and  liable  to  imprisonment  or  they  are  condemned 
to  a  permanent  exile  from  the  country  of  their  fathers. 

"The  only  way  in  which  this  controversy  can  be  settled 
would  be  the  arrangement  of  a  treaty  between  Italy  and  the 
United  States,  but  we  do  not  think  Italy  will  ever  agree  to 
renounce  millions  of  her  sons,  who  by  the  laws  of  the  country 
are  obliged  to  defend  her."  * 

It  is  fair  to  raise  the  question,  what  use  is  it  to  make  an 
Italian  solemnly  swear  off  his  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Italy, 
when  this  country  does  not  even  make  a  pretense  of  pro- 
tecting him  in  his  rights  ?  It  would  seem  that  all  such  prom- 
ises are  a  sham  and  worse  unless  American  citizenship  can 
be  made  something  to  be  recognized  and  respected  through- 
out the  world.  It  should  be  the  duty  of  our  government  to 
take  up  this  matter  and  endeavor  to  secure  such  international 
legislation  as  will  make  American  citizenship  worthful  and 
valid  to  one  of  foreign  birth. 

PAPERS  IN  THE  ITALIAN  LANGUAGE 

The  Italians  have  a  passion  for  organizing  societies  and 
publishing  papers.    There  are  in  the  United  States  not  less 
*//   Cittadino,   New   York. 


J26  SONS  OF  ITALY 

than  sixty  or  seventy  Italian  weeklies  and  eight  dailies.  The 
most  widely  read  daily  is  //  Progresso  Italiano.  It  takes 
special  interest  in  collecting  subscriptions  for  various  ob- 
jects, such  as  the  relief  of  disasters  in  Italy,  monuments  to 
be  erected  in  honor  of  famous  Italians,  as  the  Verdi  monu- 
ment at  Broadway  and  Seventy-third  Street,  the  Columbus 
monument  in  Columbus  Circle,  and  the  Verazzano  monu- 
ment at  the  Battery,  New  York. 

There  are  three  weeklies  of  an  ethical  and  patriotic  type, 
II  Carrocio  of  New  York,  //  Cittadino  of  New  York,  and 
//  Cittadino  of  Chicago.  The  first  is  devoted  to  scientific, 
political,  and  literary  subjects,  while  the  last  two  aim  at 
reforming  not  only  the  Italian  press  but  Italian  life  gener- 
ally. These  last  two  papers  were  established  by  Italian 
Protestant  ministers. 

The  chief  handicap  of  the  Italian  press  in  general  (apart 
from  those  mentioned)  is  that  it  does  not  have  a  sufficiently 
high  ideal  of  its  mission.  It  occupies  itself  too  much  with 
slander,  and  in  many  cases  expresses  sentiments  that  are  un- 
American.  It  lacks  high  ethical  standards.  It  is  generally 
under  the  control  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  political 
parties,  and  its  utterances  are  biased  because  of  that  relation- 
ship. It  would  not  be  wise,  as  some  contend,  to  abolish  the 
foreign  press  in  the  United  States.  The  evil  we  seek  to 
avoid  does  not  lie  in  the  language  but  in  the  men  who 
control  the  destiny  of  the  foreign  press.  No  one  would 
maintain  that  all  papers  published  in  the  English  language 
are  free  from  low  ideas  and  views  that  are  anti- American. 
People  will  read  in  the  language  they  know  best.  The 
Italian  press  is  an  indispensable  medium  for  the  communica- 
tion of  political,  social,  and  industrial  information  to  the 
great  bulk  of  adult  Italians.  Especially  is  this  true  if  one 
desires  to  be  informed  about  social  and  intellectual  move- 
ments in  Italy.  The  American  papers  and  magazines  do 
not  give  space  to  these  questions.  The  thing  needed  above 
all  else  is  not  laws  to  abolish  the  foreign  press  or  a  censor- 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  137 

ship  for  views  therein  expressed  but  rather  a  character  test 
for  any  man  who  desires  to  conduct  a  paper,  whether  in 
English  or  a  foreign  tongue. 

La  Par ola  del  Medico 

Because  of  his  ignorance  the  Italian  has  fallen  an  easy 
prey  to  quacks,  especially  of  his  own  race.  It  has  also  been 
my  misfortune  to  meet  many  American  physicians  who,  be- 
cause the  Italian  pays  his  fees  promptly,  have  the  idea  that 
Italians  have  money  and  it  is  their  right  to  get  some  of  it. 
They  do  not  know  the  other  side  of  the  story  as  I  do.  The 
bill  that  is  so  readily  handed  to  the  doctor  may  be  the  last 
in  the  house,  or  borrowed  from  a  friend,  and  its  loss  means 
that  there  is  nothing  with  which  to  buy  nourishing  food  for 
the  invalid  to  assist  in  the  cure.  If  an  Italian  has  no  money 
and  can  secure  none,  he  will  not  call  a  doctor,  no  matter  how 
ill  he  may  be.  I  personally  know  of  two  families  where  a 
large  doctor's  bill  has  made  necessary  for  months  a  diet  far 
too  meager  to  keep  them  sufficiently  nourished  for  efficient 
work. 

Two  instances  which  came  under  my  personal  observation 
unsought  illustrate  this  bleeding  process.  An  American 
doctor  charged  $15  for  a  very  slight  operation  upon  a  new- 
born baby,  whose  father  was  earning  about  $12  a  week. 
Our  own  family  physician  chanced  to  perform  an  identical 
operation  in  an  American  family  of  our  acquaintance  at  the 
same  time,  for  which  he  charged  nothing  beyond  his  $2.00 
fee  for  the  call.  This  same  American  doctor  charged  a  very 
poor  Italian  woman  $15  for  a  simple  little  imple/nent  that 
can  be  purchased  in  any  drug-store  for  $2.00. 

The  Italian  quacks  to  whom  many  Italians  go  because  of 
language  are  equally  unscrupulous,  and  the  quacks  of  all 
races  who  advertise  in  Italian  free  advice  and  sure  cures  for 
all  manner  of  trouble,  take  thousands  of  hard-earned  dol- 
lars. 

Realizing    the    injury    to    the    Italian    people    and    the 


,2g  SONS  OF  ITALY 

disgrace  upon  the  profession,  some  of  the  finest  Italian 
physicians  in  New  York  recently  banded  together  and  are 
publishing  a  health  culture  journal  in  Italian,  called  La 
Parola  del  Medico,  "The  Word  of  the  Doctor."  The  aim 
is  to  teach  personal  hygiene  to  the  Italians  and  expose  fraudu- 
lent quacks. 

The  constructive  articles  deal  with  such  subjects  as 
"Fruit  Diet,"  "Examples  of  Good  Living,"  "Wheat, 
Cereals,  and  Legumes,"  "The  Work  of  the  Italian  Hos- 
pital." The  recent  epidemic  of  infantile  paralysis  was  dis- 
cussed, and  part  of  the  blame  for  its  spread  laid  squarely 
upon  the  bad  housing  conditions  among  Italians. 

SOCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ORGANIZATIONS 

The  Italians  are  born  organizers,  but  poor  administra- 
tors. If  any  one  gets  a  new  idea,  he  is  anxious  to  organize 
a  society  to  promulgate  it.  Owing  to  the  extreme  individual- 
ism of  Italians,  many  of  these  associations  are  short-lived. 
It  is  a  common  saying  that  if  there  are  fifty  Italians  in  a 
room  and  any  question  is  being  discussed,  there  will  be  fifty 
different  opinions  about  it.  It  is  this  freedom  of  spirit  and 
desire  to  think  for  themselves  that  has  loosened  the  grip  of 
the  Roman  Church  upon  them.  They  can  also  be  most 
unflinchingly  loyal  to  an  ideal,  but  this  is  a  voluntary  loyalty 
and  cannot  be  compelled.  Mutual  benefit  societies  whose 
aim  is  insurance  against  illness  or  death  are  without  num- 
ber. They  keep  up  an  esprit  de  corps  by  picnics  and  Sunday 
excursions.  There  are  also  trade  unions,  some  wholly 
Italian,  and  in  some  the  Italians  join  with  Americans  or 
other  nationalities.  There  are  many  Italian  Masons  and 
Odd  Fellows  in  the  country.  It  is  well  for  Italian  pastors 
to  join  these  organizations  which  bring  them  into  touch 
with  the  best  and  most  thoughtful  Italians  in  a  colony. 

There  is  a  small  Dante  Alighieri  Society  whose  aim  is 
cultural  and  educational.  In  Manhattan,  there  are  250 


THE  ITALIAN  AS  A  CITIZEN  129 

Italian  societies,  some  in  honor  of  local  patron  saints  whose 
holidays  are  celebrated  with  picturesque  street  festivals  and 
parades.  There  is  also  an  Italian  club  of  wealthy  and  influ- 
ential business  men,  bankers,  importers,  and  physicians. 
There  are  Italian  chambers  of  commerce  in  leading  cities. 
There  is  a  flourishing  Italian  Red  Cross  branch  in  this 
country,  which  has  been  active  during  the  present  war.  By 
far  the  most  widely  diffused  and  largest  of  all  the  Italian 
organizations  is  the  Figli  tfltalia,  "Sons  of  Italy." 

"The  order  of  the  Sons  of  Italy  is  not  a  mutual  aid 
society,  nor,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  an  order.  To 
speak  of  the  Sons  of  Italy  is  to  speak  of  the  Italian  colony 
in  America.  The  order  was  started  in  New  York  in  1905, 
and  now  comprises  623  lodges  in  twenty  states,  with  a 
membership  of  80,000  brothers.  In  the  membership  cf  the 
order  are  persons  of  every  profession  and  occupation.  The 
judge  or  the  high  official  is  brother  to  the  laborer,  because 
the  relations  of  the  members  towards  each  other  are  gov- 
erned by  the  three  principles  of  the  order,  liberty,  equality, 
and  brotherly  love.  It  aims  to  gather  all  Italians  in  the 
United  States  into  one  close  brotherhood,  so  that  Italians 
in  this  country  may  show  unity  of  action  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  Italian  welfare. 

"In  1915  when  the  labor  unions  stopped  subway  and  aque- 
duct construction  in  New  York  City,  claiming  the  law 
required  that  only  American  citizens  be  employed  upon 
public  works,  18,000  Italians  were  thrown  out  of  employ- 
ment. The  Sons  of  Italy  appealed  as  a  body  to  the  New 
York  state  legislature,  with  the  result  not  only  that  the 
18,000  men  resumed  work  but  that  the  serious  and  threat- 
ened delay  in  the  completion  of  public  improvements  was 
avoided.  The  order  is  also  caring  for  the  families  of  hun- 
dreds of  reservists  who  have  returned  to  Italy  to  fight  for 
the  unredeemed  provinces.  Recently  it  held  a  bazaar  in 
New  York  City  which  realized  $180,000  for  war  relief. 

"The  order  urges  its  members  to  become  American  citi- 


,3o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

zens.  It  publishes  a  weekly  paper  and  endeavors  to  keep 
alive  a  love  for  Italy,  its  glorious  past,  and  its  hopeful  future. 
It  is  striving  to  have  Italian  taught  in  the  public  schools  on 
the  same  basis  as  French  and  German.  The  order  is  about 
to  build  a  home  for  aged  members  and  an  orphan  asylum.  It 
hopes  to  build  many  such  institutions  and  to  have  its  own 
colleges  and  hospitals.  It  has  purchased  the  former  refuge 
home  of  Giuseppe  Garibaldi  on  Staten  Island  and  maintains 
it  as  a  historic  spot  in  his  honor.  Then  the  Italians  who, 
with  their  honest  labor,  have  made  fertile  gardens  of  the 
barren  lands,  constructed  railroads  and  bridges,  opened 
canals,  and  extracted  the  riches  of  the  mines,  erected  large 
buildings,  and  helped  in  the  laying  out  of  the  highways  and 
railways,  thereby  adding  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
country,  will  no  longer  be  looked  upon  with  prejudice,  but 
will  be  welcomed  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  life  of  the 
country — a  welcome  to  which  the  Italians  are  so  justly 
entitled."  1 

In  March,  1911,  a  congress  of  Italfhn  societies  was  held 
in  Horticultural  Hall,  Philadelphia,  which  was  reported  and 
commented  upon  by  the  Philadelphia  North  American  as 
follows : 

"In  this  congress  of  Italian  residents  there  was  a  note 
quite  different  from  any  heard  in  almost  any  conference  of 
a  foreign  strain  that  has  ever  come  under  our  notice.  It 
has  been  the  common  thing  for  the  leaders  of  foreign-born 
citizens  to  urge  their  fellow  countrymen  to  work  together 
that  the>T  might  reap  larger  emoluments  and  honors  in  our 
political  life.  In  this  Italian  congress  there  was  none  of 
this.  With  striking  unanimity  of  spirit,  all  the  more  marked 
because  of  the  aggressive  diversity  of  methods,  the  one  domi- 
nant note  was  that  Italy's  sons  in  this  country  should  acquire 
citizenship,  not  that  they  might  reap  the  rewards  of  politics, 
but  that  they  could  lend  their  aid  to  solving  the  difficult 
problems  which  confront  the  country." 

1  From  a  statement  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  order. 


V 

ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN 


The  first  human  touch  put  upon  the  immigrant  in  the  new 
environment  is  vastly  important  in  its  effects.  He  is  easily  ap- 
proachable, if  rightly  approached.  Alien  accessibility  makes 
home  mission  possibility.  The  approach  may  not  at  first  be 
on  the  distinctively  religious  side,  but  there  is  a  way  of  access 
on  some  side.  A  living  gospel  incarnated  in  a  living,  loving 
man  or  woman  is  the  "open  sesame"  to  confidence  first  and  con- 
version afterward. 

— H.  B.  Grose,  Aliens  or  Americans? 

THE  IMMIGRANT  MADONNA 

This  Christmastide,  America,  I  bring  to  you  my  son,  my  baby  son ; 

He  comes  with  little  heritage, 

But  his  eyes  are  clear,  his  body  strong, 

He   is    ready   for   you   to   do    with    him   what   you    will.      What 

will  you? 

Will  you  use  him  hurriedly  for  your  quick  ends? 
And    will    you    then    discard    him    because    he    is    worn-out    and 

still  a  foreigner? 
Or  will  you   teach  him,  watch  him   grow,   and   help   him   to  be 

one  of  you; 

To  work  with  you  for  those  great  things  you  seek? 
He  is  my  son,  America, 
And  all  my  treasure. 
I  bring  him  here  to  you — 
And  you,  what  will  you  do  with  him? 

— Helen  C.  Dwight,  Vassar,  1907. 
By  permission  of  the  National  Child  Labor  Committee. 

When  men  set  out  to  note  and  collate  impressions  and  make 
perhaps  a  scientific  study  of  slumdom,  without  genuine  interest  in 
the  lives  they  see,  and  therefore  without  true  insight  into  them, 
they  miss  the  inwardness  which  love  alone  can  supply.  If  we 
look  without  love,  we  see  only  the  outside,  the  mere  form  and 
expression  of  the  subject  studied.  Only  with  tender  compassion 
and  loving  sympathy  can  we  see  the  beauty  even  in  the  eye  dull 
with  weeping  and  in  the  fixed  face,  pale  with  care.  We  will 
often  see  noble  patience  shining  through  them  and  loyalty  to  duty, 
virtues  and  graces  unsuspected  by  others. 

—Hugh  Black,  The  Greater  Friendship. 


Provincialism,  limited  vision,  lack  of  understanding  of 
the  immigrant,  and  little  or  no  sympathy  with  the  for- 
eigners' point  of  view  and  aspirations  are  the  difficult 
stumbling-blocks  in  the  pathway  of  the  rapid  assimilation 
and  Americanization  of  newcomers  to  America.  Race 
prejudice  has  always  characterized  the  human  race.  Biblical 
as  well  as  secular  history  bears  testimony  to  the  common 
practise  of  descrimination  against  the  foreigner.  The 
Egyptian  crowded  the  Jew  in  Goshen  and  later  tried  to 
limit  his  growth  and  power  by  murder  and  oppression; 
when  the  Jew,  in  turn,  had  become  master  of  the  promised 
land,  he  looked  upon  all  men  not  Jews  as  inferior  to  him- 
self; to  the  Greeks  all  other  nations  were  barbarians,  while 
to-day  in  America  the  immigrants  of  an  earlier  day  look 
upon  the  more  recent  comers  as  a  menace  and  undesirable. 
How  can  America  hope  to  weld  these  people  into  good 
citizens  if  good  Americans  constantly  look  upon  them  as 
inferiors,  studiously  avoiding  contact  with  them? 

FUNDAMENTALS  OF  ITALIAN  WORK 

The  fundamentals  of  successful  work  with  Italians  are 
genuine,  loving  interest  and  sympathetic  understanding, 
and  these  are  only  secured  by  becoming  thoroughly  well 
acquainted  with  them  personally,  not  through  the  medium 
of  a  book  or  a  platform  lecturer. 

The  matter  of  assimilating  the  foreigner   and   imbuing 


J34  SONS  OF  ITALY 

him  with  American  and  Christian  ideals  is  not  so  much  a 
question  of  the  attitude  of  the  foreigner,  but  rather  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Americans.  The  tendency  to  criticize  and 
condemn  the  foreigner  is  too  common,  while  the  practise 
of  showing  kindness  and  brotherly  love  to  the  newcomer 
is  rare.  How  the  Italian  responds  to  fair  treatment  and 
how  he  remembers  a  kind  deed  is  further  illustrated  in  the 
following  story  told  me  by  an  eye-witness. 

The  wife  of  an  Italian  miner  in  West  Virginia  was  near 
death.  One  of  the  employees  of  the  railroad,  knowing  the 
situation,  secured  a  good  doctor  to  see  the  poor  woman,  and 
his  wife  also  cared  for  her  until  she  was  restored  to  health. 
Some  two  years  later  this  employee  of  the  railroad  was 
dismissed  from  the  service  because  he  had  taken  part  in  a 
strike.  So  bitter  was  the  feeling  of  the  railroad  company 
toward  him  that  they  prevented  him  from  getting  coal  for 
his  stove  to  heat  his  house.  The  Italians  on  the  road  heard 
of  it  and  they  decided  that  the  man  who  took  care  of  a  sick 
Italian  woman  should  not  suffer,  so  whenever  car-loads  of 
coal  passed  the  man's  house,  they  would  kick  off  a  half  a 
ton.  "He  good  man — he  help  sick  woman,"  they  said. 

AGENCIES  OF  ASSIMILATION 

The  Italian  Government 

Not  the  least  among  the  agencies  for  social  service  that 
touch  the  life  of  the  Italian  is  the  Italian  government.  It 
begins  its  good  work  at  the  port  of  departure.  Each  ship 
carrying  Italian  emigrants  either  to  this  country  or  to  South 
America  must  take  with  it  a  doctor  connected  with  the 
Italian  navy,  whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  emigrant  receives 
fair  treatment  and  proper  food.  The  doctor  must  sample 
all  food  before  it  is  served.  He  is  expected  also  to  gather 
information  about  the  cities  to  which  the  emigrants  go,  which 
may  be  of  interest  to  the  home  government. 

Realizing  the  difficulties  of  the  peasant  who  reaches  Amer- 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  135 

ica,  ignorant  of  the  English  language,  without  knowledge 
of  American  life  and  customs,  and  in  many  cases  not  know- 
ing where  to  turn  for  work,  the  Italian  government  has  been 
very  willing  to  cooperate  with  organizations  which  were 
established  to  meet  these  particular  needs.  Hence  it  has 
contributed  certain  sums  to  such  American  institutions  as 
the  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Italian  Immigrants,  the 
Investigation  Bureau,  and  the  Labor  Bureau,  the  last-named 
receiving  an  annual  appropriation  of  $30,000. 

The  Italian  government  has  recently  prepared  a  numerical 
census  of  all  Italians  abroad  and  a  complete  record  of  their 
economic  condition,  their  opportunities  for  education,  social 
life,  thrift,  and  healthful  surroundings,  or  otherwise. 

The  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Italian  Immigrants  was 
started  by  philanthropic  Americans.  Its  aim  is  to  render 
service  to  the  newly-arrived,  such  as  changing  money  and 
finding  friends  and  conducting  them  to  railroad  stations. 
Before  the  existence  of  this  organization,  the  Italian  immi- 
grant was  robbed  of  nearly  every  cent  he  had  by  the  pro- 
fessional runner,  who  would  charge  the  Italian  $5.00  and 
sometimes  $10  just  to  take  him  to  some  near-by  address. 
The  Benevolent  Institute  is  in  reality  a  home  where  new 
arrivals  or  departing  Italians  can  be  accommodated  with 
room  and  board  at  a  very  moderate  price.  The  Society  of 
San  Raffaele  gives  its  special  care  to  orphan  girls  who  come 
to  America. 

The  Investigation  Bureau  acts  in  cases  of  ill  treatment 
or  injustice  done  to  Italians.  The  Labor  Bureau  furnishes 
without  charge  information  about  opportunities  for  work, 
and  investigates  conditions  of  work  and  wages  of  the  foreign 
groups.  This  bureau  aims  to  assist  all  those  who  contemplate 
establishing  agricultural  colonies.  The  Italian  government 
contributes  to  similar  organizations  in  Boston  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. It  also  contributes  various  sums  to  the  Dante  Ali- 
ghieri  Society,  and  to  schools  where  the  Italian  language 
is  taught.  While  these  agencies  help  thousands,  they  have 


i36  SONS  OF  ITALY 

not  sufficient  funds  to  help  the  vast  majority  of  Italian  immi- 
grants. 

The  Italian  government  is  not  wholly  disinterested  in  such 
assistance  to  the  Italian  in  America.  These  are  bonds  which 
unite  him  to  the  mother  country.  While  the  aim  is  not  to 
prevent  Americanization,  yet  the  end  in  view  is  to  have  the 
Italian  in  America  preserve  his  Italian  consciousness,  to  per- 
petuate I'ltalianita?-  But  this  can  only  affect  the  middle 
class ;  it  makes  little  or  no  appeal  to  the  mind  of  the  peasant 
who  has  never  experienced  anything  at  the  hand  of  the  gov- 
ernment except  burdensome  taxes,  compulsory  military  serv- 
ice, and  indifference  to  his  welfare. 

The  Italian  Hospital 

There  are  numerous  institutions  that  are  making  special 
efforts  to  reach  Italians,  yet  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  there 
are  few  institutions  as  the  direct  result  of  Italian  initiative. 
The  one  public  enterprise  which  has  had  the  backing  and 
support  of  Italians  in  New  York  City  is  the  little  Italian 
hospital  situated  on  East  Eighty-fourth  Street.  A  very  dif- 
ferent state  of  affairs  exists  among  the  Italians  of  Argentina. 
There  they  have  developed  the  spirit  of  cooperation  and  help- 
fulness to  the  extent  that  they  have  been  able  to  build  schools, 
hospitals,  club-houses,  and  to  form  great  mutual  benefit 
societies  which  are  a  credit  to  them  and  to  the  country  of 
which  they  form  a  part. 

Labor  Camp  Schools 

The  first  camp  school  for  immigrants  was  organized  at 
Aspinwall  near  Pittsburgh  in  1905  by  the  Society  for  Italian 
Immigrants.  A  rude  shanty  was  the  first  school-house,  but 
the  valuable  effects  of  the  work  induced  the  contractor  to  put 
up  a  rough  building.  The  idea  of  a  camp  school  to  teach 
English  and  provide  a  meeting  place  for  the  men,  where  they 

An   untranslatable  term  meaning,   roughly,   race  customs  and 
feelings. 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  137 

would  come  in  contact  with  Americanizing  influences, 
originated  with  Miss  Sarah  Moore,  who  taught  in  the  first 
rude  camp  school  in  the  Catskills.  The  work  has  grown  until 
now  there  is  a  fine  school  at  Valhalla,  which  is  also  a  sort 
of  club-room  for  games  and  wholesome  recreation,  as  well 
as  a  school  of  English. 

Rhode  Island  has  used  high  school  boys  as  teachers  in  its 
labor  camps.  Massachusetts  has  employed  grown  men, 
which  seems  a  better  policy.  One  of  the  best  camp  schools 
has  been  conducted  on  the  western  frontier  of  Canada. 
This  work  is  done  by  the  Reading  Camp  Association  of 
Canada,  which  engages  young  college  men  and  sends  them 
into  these  primitive  regions  to  teach  English.  About  forty 
were  so  employed  in  1914.  The  college  men  dress  like  the 
laborers,  eat  their  fare,  sleep  in  the  same  kind  of  huts,  in 
order  to  get  close  to  the  men  and  take  part  in  their  work. 

Mr.  Lovitt  of  the  University  of  Toronto  helped  the  men 
in  a  lumber  camp  to  unload  scows,  and  so  had,  on  his  first 
evening,  the  same  handicap  of  a  tired  body  and  a  sleepy 
brain  that  the  men  had.  He  had  fitted  up  his  tent  neatly, 
made  tables  and  benches  and  adorned  his  walls  with  maps, 
pictures,  and  a  blackboard — almost  a  conventional  school- 
room. But  evening  brought  a  great  disappointment.  Not 
a  man  came  near  his  tent  except  the  swing-team  boss,  George. 
"He  gave  one  quick  glance  around  the  empty  tent,  picked 
up  the  blackboard  in  one  hand,  phonograph  in  the  other,  and 
said,  'Bob,  you  bring  the  pencils  and  the  scribblers  and 
records,  and  let's  go  to  the  dagos'  bunk-house.'  The  two 
young  men  were  greeted  with  friendly  smiles  as  they  stepped 
in.  One  big  Florentine,  Michael  Angelo  by  name,  swept 
aside  the  cards  on  the  table  and  motioned  McDonald  to 
put  the  phonograph  there.  'Home,  Sweet  Home'  was 
played;  not  a  word  was  spoken;  every  one  recognized  it. 
The  old  familiar  tune  started  recollections  in  the  hearts  of 
the  home-loving  Florentines  as  well  as  in  those  of  the 
Canadians.  It  had  to  be  repeated  four  times.  Several 


i3g  SONS  OF  ITALY 

selections  followed,  including  songs  in  Italian.  Then 
Michael  pointed  where  to  place  the  blackboard.  Lovitt 
picked  up  a  cap,  a  sweater,  a  coat,  named  them  distinctly, 
arid  wrote  the  words  on  the  boards.  Then  he  took  a  button 
from  a  comfort  bag  supplied  for  each  man  by  the  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  and  made  signs  for  Michael 
to  sew  it  on  Pietro's  overalls,  explaining  every  step  of  the 
operation  in  English.  Then  came  a  lesson  in  English  on 
mending  a  sock.  At  the  end,  Michael  hospitably  pulled  out 
a  box  of  beer.  Lovitt  declined  courteously,  saying,  'Teach- 
ers don't  drink  beer,  only  pop  and  water.'  The  next  evening 
Michael  came  to  the  school  tent,  poked  in  his  head  ami 
offered  a  bottle  of  ginger  pop  to  Mr.  Lovitt.  After  examin- 
ing the  pictures,  magazines,  and  Italian  papers,  he  returned 
to  the  sleeping  quarters,  told  the  men  they  ought  to  go  to 
school,  and  returned  with  five  others  immediately.  Thou- 
sands of  foreigners  have  learned  to  read  and  write  English 
through  the  work  of  this  association."  x 

The  camps  of  berry-pickers  in  New  Jersey,  the  workers 
in  the  sugar-cane  and  cotton  fields  of  the  Southern  states, 
present  a  fertile  field  for  camp  school  ministries. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association 

For  the  past  ten  years  or  more  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  has  been  carrying  on  a  multiform  and 
beneficent  work  for  foreigners,  including  the  Italians.  In 
mining  centers,  in  great  industrial  communities,  and  in  large 
cities  through  educational  classes,  factory  leagues,  shop  meet- 
ings, gymnasium  classes,  social  gatherings,  lectures  on  health 
and  naturalization,  and  through  religious  meetings  at  oppor- 
tune times,  thousands  of  Italians  come  under  the  influence 
of  this  organization.  One  of  the  most  valuable  services 
which  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  rendering 
is  through  its  representatives  who  meet  the  immigrant  on  his 
own  soil  at  the  port  of  embarkation  and  there  give  him  a 

1  World's  Work,  April,  1914,  pp.  699-702. 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  139 

card  which  will  introduce  him  to  the  representative  of  the 
Association  on  this  side  of  the  ocean.  The  latter  in  turn 
directs  him  to  agents  of  the  Association  in  any  part  of  the 
country  where  the  immigrant  may  be  intending  to  go. 

The  Association  also  employs  Christian  men,. who  cross 
the  ocean,  mingle  with  the  immigrants  during  the  voyage, 
and  are  able,  with  the  cooperation  of  the  steamship  company, 
through  personal  conversation  and  illustrated  lectures,  to 
give  many  helpful  lessons  and  much  useful  information. 

The  only  attempt  that  I  know  of  in  this  country  to  estab- 
lish a  branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  ex- 
clusively for  Italians,  was  in  upper  New  York  City  on  East 
1 1 6th  Street.  Although  largely  attended  and  doing  a  fine 
work,  it  was  unfortunately  abandoned,  because  sufficient 
funds  could  not  be  secured  to  continue  it.  The  Bowery 
branch  in  New  York  City,  known  as  the  Young  Men's 
Institute,  is  largely  frequented  by  Italians. 

Parochial  Schools 

It  is  the  opinion  of  many  well-informed  people  that 
the  establishment  of  parochial  schools  in  large  numbers  is 
not  a  contribution  to  the  process  of  Americanization.  In 
Greater  New  York  alone  it  is  estimated  that  there  are 
200,000  children  receiving  their  mental  training  in  parochial 
schools.  The  order  of  St.  Francis,  for  example,  is  establish- 
ing and  conducting  such  schools  among  Italians  all  over  the 
country.  Their  aim  is  to  inculcate  the  Catholic  faith,  and 
to  preserve  "L'ltalianita"  The  teaching  is  partly  in  Ital- 
ian, by  Italian  monks  or  sisters.  The  result  is  to  retard 
assimilation,  and  to  perpetuate  foreign  colonies  in  our  cities, 
as  alien  in  habits  of  thought  as  newly  arrived  immigrants, 
although  these  children  are  born  here  in  America.  The 
parochial  school  children  must  furnish  their  own  text-books 
and  if,  as  it  often  happens,  the  parents  are  too  poor  to  buy 
new  ones  when  a  new  term  opens  in  the  winter,  the  child 
must  repeat  his  grade. 


i4<>  SONS  OF  ITALY 

From  the  Bulletin  of  the  Catholic  Educational  Association 
for  1913  we  learn  that  there  are  in  the  United  States  5,119 
parochial  schools,  attended  by  1,333,786  children.1  Con- 
cerning parochial  schools  for  Italians,  Father  Burns  reported 
in  1916:  "According  to  the  census  of  1900  there  were 
826,023  members  of  Catholic  parishes  in  which  the  Italian 
language  was  used.  .  .  .  Comparatively  few  Italian 
parishes  have  parish  schools.  The  chief  reason  for  this  ap- 
pears to  be  an  almost  entire  lack  of  appreciation  of  the 
importance  of  the  Catholic  school.  Italian  children  gen- 
erally attend  the  public  school.  Italian  immigrants  are  but 
little  concerned,  as  a  rule,  about  the  retention  of  the  mother 
tongue  by  their  children."  3  In  1906  there  were  forty-eight 
Italian  parochial  schools  with  13,838  pupils.  Since  1906 
the  Catholic  Church  has  tackled  this  problem  of  holding 
Italian  children  in  two  ways.  First,  by  building  many  more 
parochial  schools  for  Italians,  and  almost  compelling  parents 
to  send  their  children  to  them.  And  second,  by  holding  once 
a  week  instruction  classes  in  the  local  church,  to  which  the 
Catholic  public  school  teachers  direct  or  lead  their  Catholic 
pupils.  On  the  theory  that  all  Italians  are  Catholics,  many 
Protestant  Italian  children  have  been  forced  into  these  classes 
by  cooperation  between  priests  and  public  school  teachers. 

Public  Schools 

Chief  among  the  molding  forces  of  Italian  life  in  Amer- 
ica is  the  public  school.  With  all  its  limitations  and  short- 
comings it  is  still  the  bulwark  in  American  life.  It  is  the 
only  institution  that  can  in  a  large  way  inculcate  American 
ideals  and  principles  in  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation  of 
children  of  the  foreign-born.  It  should  therefore  be  the  aim 

1  Catholic    Educational    Conditions    in    the    United    States,    by 
Rev.  Charles  Mackey,  S.  J.,  1913,  page  7. 

2  Growth  and  Development  of  the  Catholic  School  System  in  the 
United  States,  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Burns,  G.S.C.,  Ph.D.,  pp.  307-8. 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  141 

of  every  true  American  to  bring  under  its  influence  and 
teaching  every  child  of  foreign  parentage. 

Nor  is  the  education  in  Americanism  given  in  the  public 
schools  sufficient,  if  it  consists  only  in  learning  to  read  and 
write  English,  saluting  the  flag,  and  singing  "America," 
True  education  means  drawing  out  the  best  in  each  one, 
the  development  of  character.  The  most  valuable  contribu- 
tion which  the  public  school  makes  to  the  process  of  Ameri- 
canization is  that  indefinable  thing  called  influence,  which 
devoted  men  and  women  communicate  through  their  per- 
sonality to  their  pupils.  Mary  Antin  would  never  have 
become  the  characterful  woman  that  she  is,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  her  favorite  teacher,  the  woman  who  encouraged 
her,  saw  her  possibilities,  inspired  her,  and  communicated 
something  of  her  own  beautiful  spirit  to  the  immigrant  girl. 

In  recognition  of  this  value  of  character  in  the  teacher, 
all  Christians  should  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  personnel 
of  our  public  school  staffs,  and  see  to  it  that  boards  of  educa- 
tion secure  men  and  women  who  have  other  qualifications 
besides  ability  to  teach  the  subjects  allotted  to  them.  This 
is  a  vital  necessity  in  connection  with  schools  that  are  located 
in  strictly  foreign  centers.  For  here  the  life  is  more  needy 
and  destitute  and  hence  the  greater  necessity  for  the  real, 
loving  missionary  spirit  in  the  lives  of  those  who  come  into 
daily  contact  with  these  plastic  boys  and  girls.  The  reason 
why  so  many  children  of  our  foreign-born  population  make 
up  the  bulk  of  the  inmates  of  reformatories,  houses  of  cor- 
rection, and  even  prisons,  is  because  neither  in  the  home  nor 
in  the  school  do  they  receive  wise  personal  attention  and 
sufficient  moral  training. 

There  is  in  an  Eastern  city  of  my  acquaintance  a  high 
school  with  nearly  2,000  pupils,  all  foreign-born  or  children 
oi  foreign-born.  Several  of  the  teachers  are  atheists.  It 
has  been  found  very  difficult  to  interest  young  people  who  at- 
tend that  school  in  religion.  They  have  become  quite  self- 
satisfied  and  self-seeking  and  are  making  their  plans  to  get 


i42  SONS  OF  ITALY 

all  they  can  out  of  this  world  as  their  just  due,  without  any 
feeling  of  responsibility  for  the  interests  or  rights  of  others. 
The  children  are  influenced  far  more  by  their  teachers  than 
by  their  parents,  whom  they  look  down  upon  because  they 
are  ignorant  foreigners.  It  is  noteworthy,  too,  that  only 
sixty  pupils  of  this  entire  school  have  volunteered  their 
services  in  case  the  nation  needs  them.  They  are  growing 
up  to  clamor  for  the  rights  of  citizens,  but  too  selfish  to 
assume  the  responsibilities,  because  they  have  been  taught  no 
ideal  of  service. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  work  of  teaching  the  three  R's, 
the  public  schools  of  many  large  cities  have  established  night 
schools  for  the  study  of  the  English  language,  while  New 
York,  Chicago,  Pittsburgh,  and  other  large  cities  also  have 
lecture  departments  of  the  public  school  system,  which  fur- 
nish free  illustrated  lectures  on  subjects  of  such  general 
interest  as  travel  and  biography,  with  particular  reference  to 
America. 

In  Greater  New  York  there  is  an  Italian  department 
under  the  auspices  of  the  city  Board  of  Health,  conducted 
by  the  Charity  Organization  Society,  which  furnishes  illus- 
trated lectures  to  churches  and  social  institutions  on  the 
prevention  of  various  diseases,  especially  tuberculosis.  In 
addition  to  this  the  University  Extension  Society  furnishes 
doctors,  both  men  and  women,  to  address  mothers'  clubs 
on  such  subjects  as  "The  Home,"  "Ventilation,"  "The  Care 
and  Feeding  of  Children,"  and  other  important  topics. 

Organized  Movements 

Detroit's  English  Campaign.  Detroit  is  the  first  city  in 
the  country  to  make  the  foreigner  an  object  of  special  care. 
The  Board  of  Education  and  Chamber  of  Commerce  co- 
operated in  planning  a  campaign  to  have  the  adult  foreigners 
study  English  in  night  school  as  the  first  step  in  Americani- 
zation. The  police  department,  the  department  of  health, 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Recreation  Bureau, 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  143 

public  libraries,  sixty  visiting  nurses,  all  social  welfare 
agencies,  the  Salvation  Army,  milk  committee,  and  foreign- 
speaking  churches  all  joined  in  advertising  the  night  schools 
by  means  of  hand-bills  and  printed  slips  which  were  thor- 
oughly distributed.  The  women's  clubs,  employment 
agencies,  and  the  newspapers  helped  by  showing  the  great 
advantage  of  learning,  to  speak  English. 

Practically  all  the  large  factories  assembled  their  men 
in  mass  meetings  and  urged  them  to  attend  school,  assuring 
them  that  "it  is  easier  to  get  and  keep  a  job  if  you  know 
English,  as  the  non-English  speaking  are  the  first  to  be  laid 
off  and  last  to  be  taken  on." 

One  company  established  a  class  in  its  own  factory  and 
gave  its  men  a  threefold  choice,  (i)  to  attend  the  factory 
class;  (2)  to  attend  public  night  school;  (3)  to  be  laid  off. 

Another  company  proposed  a  better,  less  arbitrary  scheme 
of  a  wage  increase  of  two  cents  an  hour  to  all  its  employees 
who  learned  the  English  language.  As  a  result  there  was 
a  153  per  cent,  increase  of  registration  in  the  night  schools 
for  English,  and  a  twenty-five  per  cent,  increase  of  young 
mechanics  in  the  evening  high  schools,  and  best  of  all,  a 
thoroughly  awakened  city  with  a  greatly  increased  feeling 
of  responsibility  on  the  part  of  the  employers  and  the  entire 
community  for  their  foreign  population.  A  night  school 
campaign  in  every  city  and  town  for  instruction  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  citizenship  is  an  immediate  practical  ap- 
proach to  the  vast  and  complicated  problem  of  assimilation. 

Rochester's  Americanization  Factory.  Rochester  has  what 
it  calls  its  "Americanization  Factory,"  whose  superintendent, 
Charles  E.  Finch,  is  Director  of  Immigrant  Education  for 
the  city.  Half  of  Rochester's  population  is  foreign,  and 
Mr.  Finch  has  carefully  worked  out  a  program  for  night 
schools,  with  a  threefold  aim: 

1 i )  To  teach  foreigners  to  read  and  write  English. 

(2)  To  give  practical  information  to  make  their  lives 
easier  and  safer. 


X44  SONS  OF  ITALY 

(3)  To  prepare  for  American  citizenship  by  teaching  our 
laws,  customs,  ideals,  and  history. 

Instead  of  putting  them  all  together,  as  is  so  often  done, 
they  are  carefully  graded  according  to  literary  and  mental 
attainments.  The  natural  method  is  used,  such  as  naming 
an  object  and  talking  about  it,  as  buying  a  hat,  using  a 
hammer,  sewing  a  coat.  Mr.  Finch  brings  American  news- 
papers into  his  schools,  and  men  learn  to  read  them  in  some 
instances  within  two  months'  time  after  entering  the  class. 
Mr.  Finch  has  prepared  advanced  courses  in  the  night  schools 
for  those  who  wish  further  education,  and  last  year  one  class 
studied  Ibsen's  plays. 

Mr.  Finch's  chief  difficulty  was  in  rinding  teachers  gifted 
with  sufficient  intelligence,  sympathy,  and  resourcefulness. 
He  is  now  devoting  his  energy  to  training  teachers  for  this 
special  work.  He  has  recently  installed  a  course  of  study 
in  the  curriculum  of  the  State  Normal  School  for  those  who 
wish  to  prepare  for  night  school  work  for  foreigners.  The 
number  of  Italians  enrolled  outnumbered  all  other  nation- 
alities, except  the  Jews.  The  chief  opposition  to  this  work 
came  from  the  powerful  political  leaders  of  the  foreign 
colonies.  As  the  foreigners  learn  to  read  and  think  for  them- 
selves, the  bosses'  power  of  control  vanishes. 

Women's  Clubs 

Gradually  women's  clubs,  civic  organizations,  and  settle- 
ments are  coming  to  realize  that  the  place  upon  which  to  put 
the  greatest  emphasis  is  not  the  school  but  the  home.  The 
greatest  problem  is  not  the  foreign  child  but  the  foreign 
mother.  The  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  of  the  state  of 
California  last  year  succeeded  in  securing  the  passage  of  a 
law  requiring  boards  of  education  to  employ  "home  teachers" 
to  teach  in  communities  inhabited  by  aliens.  The  applicant 
must  have  not  only  a  teacher's  certificate  for  work  in  the 
regular  schools,  but  tact  and  marked  ability  for  her  work. 
Her  duty  is  to  visit  her  entire  district  in  order  to  discover  the 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  145 

homes  that  need  her  care,  and  then  to  teach  English  to  the 
foreign  mother  in  her  own  home,  as  well  as  sanitation,  house- 
hold tasks,  purchase  of  supplies,  clothing,  and  our  American 
system  of  government.  She  reports  to  proper  authorities 
bad  housing  conditions  which  she  may  find  and  those  in  need 
of  medical  attendance.  She  seeks  to  cultivate  self-respect 
by  carefully  preserving  race  pride  and  by  seeking  to  discover 
and  develop  any  special  gifts  in  families  under  her  care. 
New  York  City  has  also  recently  appointed  home  teachers, 
and  there  are  eleven  at  work  in  the  Greater  City. 

A  Neighborhood  Mother.  In  the  squalid  Italian  quarter 
near  the  salt  beds  around  Syracuse,  a  sweet-faced  woman 
was  picking  her  way  among  the  puddles  of  water  on  the 
unpaved  street.  Suddenly  a  little  child  saw  her  and  rushed 
forward  with  glad  cries  of  "Teacher,  teacher!"  From 
everywhere  and  nowhere  in  particular  came  running  a  dozen 
more,  their  little  dark  faces  lighted  by  bright  happy  smiles 
as  they  gathered  about  and  looked  up  into  the  face  of  their 
loved  teacher,  like  flowers  lifting  their  heads  towards  the 
sun.  "Are  you  coming  to  my  house  to-day?"  "And  mine?" 
"Yes,  dears,"  and  away  they  scampered  to  scatter  the  good 
news.  Up  the  steep  narrow  and  dark  stairway  the  teacher 
climbed,  with  a  chattering  rear-guard.  In  the  open  doorway 
at  the  top  landing  stood  a  short,  thick-set  woman  whose  dark, 
flashing  eyes  and  olive  skin  proclaimed  her  a  daughter  of 
Italy.  She  had  a  baby  in  her  arms  and  a  two-year-old 
tugging  at  her  skirt,  peeping  at  the  teacher.  After  warmly 
shaking  hands  with  every  one,  including  the  baby,  the  teacher 
was  offered  the  best  chair  in  the  room,  and  in  came  two  other 
Italian  women  with  small  children.  The  health  of  each 
child  was  inquired  after,  and  a  word  of  advice  in  one  case, 
warning  in  another,  was  given  in  Italian,  and  then  the 
teacher  opened  her  bag,  took  out  some  picture-books,  paper 
and  pencils  for  the  children,  and  English  primers  for  the 
three  mothers,  and  began  the  English  lesson.  The  book  was 
the  one  prepared  by  Mary  C.  Barnes,  and  as  the  teacher 


,46  SONS  OF  ITALY 

had  faithfully  taught  these  women  in  their  homes  for  nine 
months,  they  were  able  to  understand  and  read  quite  well. 
At  the  close,  the  teacher  explained  in  Italian  the  Bible  lesson 
which  they  had  read  in  English.  Although  these  women 
could  understand  quite  a  little  English,  they  did  all  their 
thinking  in  their  native  tongue,  and  if  one  wished  to  impress 
a  truth  clearly  it  must  still  be  in  Italian.  Then  came  a 
practical  demonstration  of  how  to  disinfect  and  do  up  a 
cut  finger,  when  Giuseppe  came  in  crying,  with  an  old 
tomato  can  still  clutched  in  his  hand.  The  teacher  still 
relied  on  Italian  to  explain  how  dangerous  a  plaything  a 
tin  can  is,  and  the  need  and  action  of  disinfectants.  In 
each  home  she  entered  the  teacher  met  a  different  problem. 
In  one  the  window  was  nailed  down  tight  to  keep  out 
burglars;  in  another  the  sink  drain  leaked  over  the  floor; 
in  another  she  came  just  in  time  to  overhear  a  brewery  agent 
in  fluent  Italian  telling  a  group  of  mothers  that  the  air  in 
America  is  so  strong  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  whole  family 
to  drink  beer,  even  the  little  children,  or  they  will  never 
grow  up. 

Her  knowledge  of  Italian  opened  the  way  to  the  lives 
of  these  women,  who  poured  out  their  hearts  to  her, 
and  in  a  very  true  sense  she  became  the  neighborhood 
mother. 

The  immigrant  committee  of  the  New  York  State  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs  is  formulating  plans  for  establish- 
ing rural  colonies  of  foreigners  in  undeveloped  areas  of 
our  country.  The  plan  contemplates  an  arrangement  with 
the  federal  banks  to  loan  money  for  long  terms  at  a  low 
rate  until  the  immigrant  has  a  chance  to  become  well  estab- 
lished. 

The  National  Americanization  Committee  has  prepared 
a  fine  program  of  activities  for  mothers'  organizations,  which 
includes  this  standard  for  individual  women: 

(1)  Americanize  one  immigrant  woman. 

(2)  Teach  English  to  one  foreign-born  mother. 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  147 

(3)   Put  one  immigrant  family  on  your  calling  list. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate  the  enormous  trans- 
formation that  could  be  wrought  if  every  Christian  woman 
would  earnestly  set  herself  to  the  task,  taking  the  foreign- 
born  woman  who  lives  nearest  her  as  her  particular  work 
and  care. 

Social  Settlements 

Some  years  ago  an  occasional  Italian  might  have  found  his 
way  into  one  of  the  social  settlements  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  colony.  To-day,  while  he  is  not  as  appreciative  of 
educational  and  social  advantages  as  the  Hebrew,  he  is 
accepting  more  and  more  the  opportunities  offered  him.  He 
is  timid  about  mingling  with  people  among  whom  he  feels 
a  stranger.  But  his  desire  to  learn  English  has  conquered, 
for  he  knew  well  that  without  such  knowledge  the  doors 
leading  to  the  best  opportunities  were  closed  to  him.  Con- 
sequently we  find  him  in  Hull  House  in  Chicago,  in  the 
West  End  House  in  Boston  and  in  the  settlements  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pittsburgh,  New  York,  and  Brooklyn.  In  the  latter 
borough,  there  are  two  settlements  exclusively  for  Italians, 
the  Little  Italy  Neighborhood  House  and  the  Italian  Settle- 
ment. 

In  New  York  City,  the  Richmond  Hill  house  is  distinc- 
tively an  Italian  institution.  Six  hundred  Italian  boys  and 
girls  every  week  avail  themselves  of  the  clubs  and  classes 
offered  them  by  this  settlement.  Ninety-five  children  attend 
the  daily  kindergarten  in  the  mornings  and  are  gathered 
in  sewing  or  story-telling  groups  in  the  afternoons.  There 
are  a  large  Boy  Scout  troop,  dramatic  clubs  for  all  ages, 
mothers'  clubs,  classes  in  carpentry,  modeling,  drawing, 
painting  pottery,  and  stenography.  The  house  also  conducts 
an  employment  bureau  ( for  boys  and  girls  compelled  to  leave 
school)  based  upon  the  most  modern  ideas  of  vocational 
guidance.  The  young  people  also  publish  a  worthy  maga- 
zine. Excellent  work  has  been  done  in  sculpture.  One  of 


H8  SONS  OF  ITALY 

the  young  men  who  owes  his  start  in  life  to  the  settlement 
is  Beniamino  Bufano,  who  last  year  won  the  Whitney  first 
prize  in  the  competition  for  the  best  sculptural  representation 
of  the  immigrant  in  America.  The  art  committee  is  en- 
deavoring to  develop  artistic  ability  among  Italians  in  New 
York  and  will  build  a  studio  in  the  rear  of  the  settlement 
house  this  year. 

The  wonderful  work  of  Hull  House  would  need  a  vol- 
ume of  its  own  adequately  to  describe  it.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  Italians  may  and  do  take  advantage  of  the  music  school, 
art  classes,  day  nursery,  and  the  industrial  and  social  clubs 
for  boys  and  girls.  The  two  distinctively  Italian  activities 
are  the  "Young  Italians"  social  club  for  young  men  and 
women  and  Circolo  Itdiano,  the  Italian  Circle.  At  the 
regular  meetings  of  the  social  club  during  the  past  four  years, 
an  appreciation  of  what  is  best  in  their  old  world  traditions 
is  fostered.  Italian  has  to  some  extent  been  spoken,  Italian 
favors  and  decorations  and  refreshments  have  been  used. 
The  Italian  Circle  has  general  oversight  over  all  activities 
in  behalf  of  Italians.  It  conducts  the  social  club,  gives  bene- 
fit performances  for  the  Italian  Red  Cross,  has  started  rug- 
weaving  for  poor  Italian  women,  and  gives  an  annual 
"Mardi  Gras,"  the  invitations  for  which  read  "you  and 
your  family."  Almost  all  the  Italian  colony  attends.  The 
philanthropic  Italian  ladies  of  Chicago  have  organized  a 
Socifta  de  Beneficenza  della  Donne  Italiane  which  meets 
at  Hull  House.  One  of  the  aims  sought  has  been  to  make 
the  foreign  mothers  more  respected  by  their  children,  and 
to  this  end  the  work  for  mothers  is  given  much  prominence. 

All  the  settlements  conduct  classes  in  English  and  nat- 
uralization for  foreigners,  and,  through  the  visiting  nurse 
and  the  outings  at  summer  camps,  relieve  much  physical 
suffering,  but,  as  tHe  head-worker  of  an  Italian  social  settle- 
ment said  to  me  recently,  "What  Italians  need  is  less  amuse- 
ment and  more  religion."  Italians  frequent  the  settlements 
because  of  the  advantages  offered,  but  do  they  avail  them- 


THE  SOCIAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  CENTER  (METHODIST  EPISCOPAL), 
ENSLEY,  ALABAMA 

The  Cooking  Class 

The  Sewing  Class 

Night  School  for  Italian  Men  . 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  149 

selves  of  these  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  help  others 
less  fortunate,  or  that  they  may  become  the  moral  leaders  of 
their  race  ?  Frankly,  no ;  only  that  they  may  better  their  own 
position  in  the  world,  or  for  the  good  times  to  be  had,  or 
because  there  they  are  able  to  pursue  congenial  studies,  all 
worthy  enough  motives,  but,  without  religion,  tending  to 
develop  a  selfish  pursuit  of  happiness,  lacking  the  sense  of 
duty  and  of  responsibility  for  service  which  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  instils.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  social  settle- 
ments should  be  an  expression  of  the  Christlike  character  of 
loving  service  in  the  hearts  of  their  supporters.  We  must 
seek  to  develop  the  Christlike  character  in  those  we  aid. 
This  can  best  be  done  in  settlements  conducted  from  the 
religious  point  of  view. 

Religious  Social  Settlements 

There  should  not  be  the  sharp  distinction  that  is  com- 
monly made  between  social  and  religious  work.  Anything 
that  is  done  for  the  welfare  of  mankind  is  Christian,  but 
it  falls  short  of  its  aim  if  it  betters  only  the  physical  and 
intellectual  condition  of  people.  For  such  work  to  be  per- 
manent in  its  effect,  the  spiritual  life  must  be  touched  by 
the  power  of  the  living  Christ.  The  appeal  of  the  social 
settlement  that  ignores  religion  is  to  self-interest,  a  motive 
not  lofty  enough  to  stimulate  the  development  of  nobility 
of  character.  A  few  years  ago  some  earnest  people  closed 
a  large,  finely  equipped  settlement,  whose  classes  were  at- 
tended by  hundreds  of  foreigners,  giving  as  their  reason 
that  the  results  in  terms  of  life  and  character  did  not  justify 
the  expenditure  of  time  and  money.  Only  an  intelligent 
and  vital  faith  in  Christ  can  bring  man  to  his  highest  state. 

The  ideal  method  of  work  is  a  union  of  a  social  settlement 
ministering  to  the  physical  side  of  life  through  athletics, 
health  talks,  and  visiting  nurses;  to  the  mental,  through 
clubs  and  English  classes,  music,  drawing,  and  handcraft; 
to  the  need  of  fun,  through  entertainments  and  social  gather- 


1 5o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

ings;  and  to  crown  all  and  give  purpose  to  life,  a  spiritual 
ministry,  the  preaching  and  teaching  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
as  the  way  of  salvation,  by  means  of  religious  services, 
Sunday-schools,  prayer-meetings,  and  a  modern  evangelism. 
There  are  some  excellently  equipped  religious  settlements 
doing  just  this:  Davenport  Settlement  in  New  Haven, 
Good-will  Center  in  Brooklyn,  with  an  average  attendance 
of  1,000  children  at  their  meetings  and  between  300  and  400 
Italian  men  and  women  at  a  Sunday  service;  Grace  Episco- 
pal Chapel,  New  York  City,  with  an  Italian  membership  of 
400;  the  work  of  the  Presbyterians  in  Kansas  City,  which 
is  so  flourishing  that  the  Italians  have  advised  the  priest  to 
close  the  Roman  Church  and  go  away. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  richest  and  most  lasting 
results  in  character  are  brought  about  by  the  efforts  which 
Protestant  churches  are  making  to  win  Italians  to  the  service 
of  Jesus  Christ.  These  efforts  are  necessary  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  two  thirds  of  the  Italians  have  abandoned  their 
native  churches  and  are  drifting  into  unbelief,  and  also 
because  the  Italians  know  so  little  of  Jesus  Christ  beyond 
dramatic  stories  of  his  birth  and  death.  They  have  scarcely 
a  conception  of  his  life  and  teachings,  and  no  knowledge  of 
the  Bible.  Thousands  have  never  heard  there  is  such  a  book. 
Their  interest  is  keen  when  they  are  introduced  to  it,  and 
any  worker  among  Italians  can  tell  of  men  who  have  read 
and  reread  it  so  that  they  can  quote  verse  after  verse  from 
memory.  I  have  in  mind  a  young  man  who  is  becoming 
actually  educated  in  heart  and  mind  from  his  study  of  the 
'Bible.  He  had  been  a  gambler,  a  hard  drinker,  a  tough  gang- 
leader,  and  a  terror  to  his  family.  After  his  conversion  the 
priest  saw  him  and  tried  to  take  his  Bible  from  him,  and 
failing,  twitted  him  with  the  hardest  thing  for  an  Italian 
to  bear,  disloyalty  to  his  inherited  faith.  Said  he,  "I  did  not 
think  you  would  ever  change  your  religion."  "Why,"  re- 
plied the  young  man,  "it's  real  religion  that  has  changed 
me."  The  mother,  sister,  and  brothers  were  in  despair  over 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  151 

him  at  first — he  was  bad  enough  before,  but  now  that  he 
had  gone  to  the  Protestant  tent,  he  would  be  utterly  lost. 
Weeks  went  by,  and  since  he  did  not  drink  or  gamble  or  go 
out  with  the  gang,  but  worked  steadily  and  brought  his 
money  home  to  his  mother,  they  all  came  in  wonder  to  see 
what  was  this  religion  that  had  worked  the  miracle,  and  a 
few  weeks  later  the  entire  family  trooped  into  my  study  bear- 
ing the  images  of  three  saints  (cheap  papier-mache,  costing 
them  $28),  which  they  no  longer  trusted  nor  addressed  in 
prayers. 

Catholic  Work  for  Italians 

What  is  the  Catholic  Church  doing  to  meet  this  situation  ? 
For  a  number  of  years  it  paid  little  heed  to  Italians  in 
America.  Consequently  the  work  of  Italian  evangelization 
was  much  easier  fifteen  years  ago  than  at  the  present  time. 
The  common  report  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land  is,  "When  we  opened  our  mission,  the  Catholics 
wrere  doing  nothing  for  Italians.  Now  they  have  built  a 
church,  are  building  a  parochial  school,  and  are  copying  our 
various  social  activities." 

Realizing  that  the  majority  of  Italian  priests  were  unable 
to  hold  the  people,  as  early  as  ten  years  ago  a  group  of 
young  American  seminarians,  mainly  of  Irish  descent,  were 
sent  to  Rome  to  learn  the  Italian  language  and  to  become 
acquainted  with  Italian  thought  and  feeling.  They  are  now 
taking  part  in  this  new,  aggressive  campaign.  In  La\vrence, 
Massachusetts,  where  the  Rev.  Ariel  Bellondi,  pastor  of 
the  flourishing  Baptist  mission,  has  gathered  a  large  men's 
Bible  class,  a  new  Catholic  church  has  just  been  com- 
pleted, and  seven  nuns  have  been  brought  into  town  to 
visit  the  homes  and  overcome  the  "devilish  influence  of 
the  Protestants."  In  Providence,  where,  as  we  have  already 
mentioned,  there  is  a  large,  prosperous,  and  influential  Ital- 
ian colony  of  30,000,  there  is  the  beautiful  church  of  Saint 
.Anna,  completed  two  years  ago.  It  is  a  copy  of  the  church 


1 52  SONS  OF  ITALY 

of  St.  John  and  St.  Paul  in  Venice,  and  an  Italian  bell- 
tower  stands  beside  it.  Padre  Bove,  who  seems  to  be  an 
energetic,  wide-awake  priest,  is  now  completing  an  equally 
imposing  and  well-equipped  parochial  school  building.  The 
plant  is  estimated  to  cost  $50,000.  The  school  will  contain 
an  auditorium  which  may  be  used  as  a  theater  and  for  con- 
certs, a  room  for  an  orchestra,  and  a  day  nursery  with  ten 
beds  for  babies.  There  are  to  be  eight  good-sized  class- 
rooms, where  will  be  taught  the  religion  and  ideals  of  the 
Italian  fatherland,  in  distinction  from  American  ideals. 

In  other  localities  the  Catholic  Church  conducts  sewing 
schools,  music  classes,  gymnasiums,  athletic  activities,  classes 
for  the  study  of  English,  kindergartens,  day  schools  for  the 
boys  and  girls,  and  Boy  Scout  troops.  In  one  New  York 
Catholic  settlement,  vocal,  piano,  and  organ  lessons  are 
given  free  to  the  people.  A  large  number  of  fresh  air  homes 
have  been  established,  and  there  is  a  long  list  of  homes  and 
protectorates  for  foundlings,  orphans,  and  wayward  boys  and 
girls.  Children  are  committed  to  these  through  the  courts, 
the  city  paying  $11  a  month  for  each  child. 

These  helpful  ministries  are  a  direct  result  of  the  example 
of  Protestant  work.  Indeed  the  pope  considered  the  apathy 
of  the  Italian  clergy  of  such  importance  that  he  not  long 
ago  sent  a  special  encyclical  letter  urging  them  to  stop  abuses 
in  Italian  parishes  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  hold  the 
Italian  people  to  the  church.  In  August,  1916,  an  appeal 
was  sent  to  all  the  Catholic  clergy  to  support  and  distribute 
a  weekly  Italian  Catholic  paper  which  it  is  proposed  to  issue. 
It  will  be  an  ably  edited  and  up-to-date  magazine  for  Italians 
in  their  own  language. 

Italian  priests  are  both  good  and  bad,  but  the  doctrine 
the  church  has  taught  her  children  for  generations  and  still 
teaches — that  the  value  of  the  priest's  ministry,  his  authority, 
and  power  are  independent  of  his  character  and  private  life — 
is  the  cause  of  much  moral  laxness.  When  the  priest  stands 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  153 

before  the  altar  he  represents  God  and  he  is  the  only  channel 
for  the  flow  of  divine  grace  to  the  people. 


RELIGIOUS  SITUATION 

It  is  a  common  belief  among  Americans  that  all  Italians 
are  Catholics,  and  there  seems  to  be  good  reason  for  this 
impression.  Out  of  Italy's  population  of  35,000,000,  there 
are  only  a  few  more  than  60,000  Protestants,  but  there  are 
uncounted  thousands,  yes,  tens  of  thousands  of  anticlerics 
and  atheists.  Ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  Italians  landing 
on  our  shores  would  give  Roman  Catholicism  as  their  re- 
ligious belief,  but  if  questioned,  a  large  number  would  add 
that  they  do  not  observe  its  feasts  or  attend  its  services, 
except,  perhaps,  for  births,  deaths,  and  marriages.  A  ques- 
tionnaire sent  to  all  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  and 
Congregational  Italian  pastors,  including  the  question, 
"What  per  cent,  of  Italians  in  your  colony  are  loyal  to  the 
Roman  Church?"  evoked  the  amazingly  unanimous  reply, 
"About  one  third."  One  or  two  reported  one  quarter  and 
one  reported  one  half. 

The  greatest  question  confronting  the  Catholic  Church 
in  America  is  the  defection  of  the  Italian  immigrant  popu- 
lation. In  1912,  the  Catholic  Church  made  a  comparison 
of  Protestant  and  Catholic  statistics,  with  the  astonishing 
result  of  250  Protestant  Italian  churches  to  150  Catholic 
Italian  churches.1 

The  Catholic  Citizen  of  Milwaukee  says  that  "Italians 
are  of  a  generation  whose  ideals  of  political  liberty  collided 
with  the  established  order  and  temporalities  of  the  church," 
and  it  further  admits  that  at  least  1,000,000  Italians  in 
this  country  have  already  been  lost  to  Catholicism.  In  one 
city  in  Massachusetts,  out  of  a  population  of  1,700  Italians, 
only  sixty  attend  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  in  an- 

1The  Catholic  Directory  for  1913. 


I54  SONS  OF  ITALY 

other  city  there  is  a  colony  of  6,000  Italians  of  whom  only 
300  attend  that  church. 

There  is  a  colony  of  35,000  Italians  in  Brooklyn  which 
has  only  one  Italian  Roman  Catholic  Church,  seating  at  the 
utmost  400  persons.  It  conducts  three  masses  on  Sunday, 
and  assuming  that  it  is  filled  to  capacity  each  time,  it  could 
only  minister  to  1,200  persons,  less  than  four  per  cent,  of 
the  population.  Out  of  the  600,000  Italian  people  of 
Greater  New  York,  the  Roman  Church,  by  its  own  figures, 
lays  claim  to  only  180,135  members  of  Roman  Catholic 
Italian  churches.  This  includes  children,  and  even  so  it  is 
less  than  one  third  of  the  total  Italian  population. 

There  is  need  for  the  widest  publicity  of  these  facts  to 
refute  the  common  charge  of  proselytizing  which  all  evan- 
gelical mission  work  among  Italians  encounters,  and  also 
because  officials  of  city  departments,  health,  probation,  juve- 
nile court,  and  charity  organizations,  and  even  school-teach- 
ers continually  assume  that  all  Italian  children  are  Catholics 
and  insist  on  treating  them  as  such. 

Here  is  what  a  well  known  Italian  woman  writer,  a 
stanch  Roman  Catholic,  has  to  say  in  her  recent  book  against 
our  evangelical  propaganda:  "In  the  American  missionary 
world  there  looms  large  the  idea  that  the  Italian  offers  a 
fertile  field  for  Protestant  operations.  It  is  true  that  many 
of  the  Italian  immigrants  have  good  reasons  for  their  state 
of  indifference,  rancor,  and  hatred  toward  the  Catholic 
Church.  On  the  one  hand,  the  anarchistic  and  socialistic 
propagandists  attack  many  of  its  theories,  on  the  other,  re- 
action inspired  by  the  condition  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
America.  The  church  must  get  money,  for  it  has  no  income 
save  from  the  faithful.  This  limits  its  charitable  work.  Be- 
sides, many  priests  go  to  America,  not  sent  by  the  holy  office 
or  their  immediate  superiors,  but  for  the  most  part,  to  "seek 
a  mass"  like  the  other  immigrants  who  go  there  to  seek  a 
job.  One  of  the  things  which  disturbs  the  Italian  is  that 
he  must  pay  to  enter  the  church.  The  rascality  of  the 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  155 

Protestants  takes  advantage  of  this  sad  state.  They  are 
animated  by  a  great  zeal  to  proselyte  and  they  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  spend  great  sums  of  money.  One  Baptist  pastor  has 
said  that,  if  he  had  money  enough,  the  whole  of  Little  Italy 
would  become  Protestant.  No,  no!  When  our  immigrants 
have  once  lost  their  native  religion  they  cannot  deceive  them- 
selves nor  others  that  they  can  acquire  another.  They  can- 
not have  any  other."  1 ' 

Legitimacy  of  Protestant  Work 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  argue  this  matter.  Our 
20,000  Protestant  Italian  membership,  with  another  40,000 
who  sympathize  fully  with  us,  but  dare  not  take  a  stand 
openly  by  uniting  with  the  Protestant  church  because  of  the 
persecution,  boycott,  and  family  opposition  which  would  in- 
evitably follow,  tells  its  own  story.  Out  of  a  confirmation 
class  of  eighty  Italians  taken  into  the  Grace  Episcopal 
Church  in  New  York  City,  last  year,  sixty  of  the  number 
had  never  been  confirmed  in  the  Catholic  Church,  while 
seven  of  the  women  had  not  even  been  baptized  by  that 
church. 

The  surprising  thing  is,  however,  to  find  that  within  the 
Protestant  fold  itself  there  are  those  who  would  discourage 
our  attempts  to  evangelize  the  Italian.  The  contention  is 
usually  as  follows.  Most  of  the  new  immigration  is  made 
up  of  Jews  and  Roman  Catholics.  It  is  a  great  deal  better 
for  them  to  be  true  to  their  own  religion  than  that  any 
efforts  should  be  made  to  undermine  their  inherited  faith. 
And  then  the  usual  argument  is  presented  that  "The  moral 
restraint  and  religious  inspiration  wrhich  come  through  the 
medium  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  cannot  be  estimated. 
We  gage  somewhat  their  value  through  a  consideration  of 
their  discontinuation.  Should  all  masses  in  Roman  Catholic 
churches  devoting  their  attention  to  non-English  speaking 
people  suddenly  cease,  what  would  inevitably  follow?  Our 

1  Amy  Benardy,  Italia  in  Randaggia. 


IS6  SONS  OF  ITALY 

nation  would  be  plunged  into  a  pandemonium  unparalleled 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  Not  only  should  we  have  end- 
less processions  marching  under  no-God,  no-law  banners, 
but  class,  clan,  and  man  would  cast  off  all  restraint  and 
authority.  In  this  country,  often  following  our  example, 
the  foreigner  has  sometimes  interpreted  liberty  as  license. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  grips  these  slowly  awakening 
souls  through  its  traditions  and  ceremonies,  in  such  a  way 
that  law  and  order  result." 

In  the  light  of  facts  already  enumerated  such  statements 
are  ridiculous,  at  least  so  far  as  Italians  are  concerned. 
Only  those  who  do  not  speak  their  language  and  have  never 
lived  in  close,  intimate,  daily  relations  with  large  numbers 
of  Italians  could  seriously  hold  such  views,  which  are  not 
sustained  by  facts.  Instead  of  the  church,  through  its 
"traditions  and  ceremonies,  gripping  these  slowly  awaking 
souls,"  those  that  do  awaken  through  education  and  con- 
tact with  American  life  throw  off  the  traditions  of  their 
church  as  worn-out  superstitions,  and  become  either  indif- 
ferent to  religion  or  actively  hostile.  Having  lost  faith  in 
Roman  Catholicism,  they  fervently  believe  all  religions  are 
worn-out  superstitions  imposed  upon  ignorant  people  to  keep 
them  in  subjection.  To  this  latter  group  belong  the  great 
throng  of  younger  men  who  represent  the  socialist  and 
anarchistic  organizations.  They  have  rebelled  against  the 
tyranny  of  the  Roman  Church  and,  mistaking  soul  liberty 
for  license,  they  acknowledge  no  authority  except  their  own 
wish  and  individual  advantage.  They  have  an  organized 
propaganda,  aided  by  public  debates,  street  meetings,  clubs, 
and  socialist  papers,  all  seeking  to  enlighten  and  free  their 
fellow-Italians  from  the  yokes  of  superstition  and  their  con- 
sequent condition  of  slavery  for  the  benefit  of  the  rich  and 
powerful.  The  rapid  growth  of  socialism  and  the  spread 
of  modernism  even  in  the  Roman  Church  itself  shows  that 
the  spirit  of  modern  Italy  is  protestant. 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  157 

How  They  Cut  Loose 

In  a  large  eastern  city  there  is  an  Italian  family  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  now,  but  some  years  ago  very  poor. 
The  father  had  been  ill  and  out  of  work  and  the  mother  had 
no  money  to  pay  the  christening  fee  and  the  expense  of  the 
usual  large  party  when  her  sixth  baby  came,  so  she  let  the 
matter  drift  for  four  months,  meanwhile  saving  money  for 
the  ceremony.  Suddenly  the  child  became  too  ill  to  take  to 
church  to  be  christened  and  the  priest  refused  to  go  to  the 
home  even  for  an  extra  fee  and  in  a  carriage  hired  by  the 
mother.  The  child  died,  and  so  great  was  the  father's 
wrath  at  the  heartlessness  of  the  priest  that  he  forbade  his 
family  ever  again  to  attend  the  Roman  Church.  The  oldest 
daughter,  a  girl  of  unusual  executive  ability,  became  an 
ardent  socialist,  secretary  of  her  organization,  and  was 
spoken  of  by  the  state  leaders  as  likely  to  rise  to  high  rank. 
An  earnest  Christian  American  woman  became  her  friend, 
and  after  several  months  succeeded  in  bringing  her  to  attend 
an  Italian  evangelical  service.  She  finally  gave  her  heart  to 
Christ,  and  is  to-day  an  earnest,  growing  Christian,  destined 
to  be  an  influential  leader  among  her  people. 

Several  years  ago,  when  I  commenced  work  among 
Italians,  I  was  invited  by  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion secretary  to  pay  a  weekly  visit  to  a  shoe  factory  and 
speak  to  the  fifty  Italians  there  employed.  I  was  told  by 
the  secretary,  who  supposed  the  men  to  be  all  Catholics,  not 
to  antagonize  them  by  preaching  religion.  I  racked  my 
brain  to  find  subjects  that  ought  to  interest  them.  I  spoke 
on  Italian  art,  immigration,  American  ideals,  and  Italian 
heroes.  One  day  one  of  the  men  shouted  out  before  all  the 
others,  "Maestro,  we  know  you  are  the  minister  of  that 
little  church.  Why  do  you  not  talk  to  us  on  religion  some 
time?"  I  answered  that  my  religious  views  would  not 
agree  with  theirs.  Whereupon  a  man  answered,  "You  need 
not  be  afraid  of  what  you  say  to  us — we  are  all  atheists." 


I58  SONS  OF  ITALY 

In  that  particular  group  of  fifty  men  I  found  only  one  who 
defended  the  Roman  Church.  During  the  four  years  that 
I  carried  on  a  tent  campaign  in  Brooklyn,  I  spoke  with 
hundreds  of  men  and  women  personally,  and  the  common 
expression  that  I  heard  over  and  over  again  was,  "I  am  a 
Roman  Catholic,  but  have  not  put  foot  inside  of  a  church 
for  ten  years."  There  are  thousands  of  young  Italians,  espe- 
cially the  better  educated  in  this  country,  who  are  organized 
into  socialistic  groups,  whose  chief  object  is  to  combat  the" 
spread  of  the  "religious  pest."  As  we  have  already  indi* 
cated,  not  over  one  third  of  the  Italian  population  of  any 
colony  is  attached  to  the  Roman  Church.  It  will  therefore 
be  clearly  seen  that  it  is  not  a  question  of  proselyting,  but 
rather  a  matter  of  recovering  the  Italian  from  skepticism, 
unbelief,  and  violent  opposition  to  religion  and  theism. 
Many  thousands  who  have  come  into  contact  with  the 
Protestant  church  have  been  converted  and  are  now  a  posi- 
tive force  for  good  in  their  communities.  Said  an  Italian 
mother  to  one  of  our  young  men  recently,  "I  wish  my  son 
would  go  to  your  church  too.  I  notice  the  young  men  there 
are  good.  They  don't  go  to  the  saloon  and  gamble  away  all 
their  wages.  I'd  even  be  willing  to  have  him  become  a 
Protestant  if  he  would  be  good  like  that  too."  Poor  woman; 
I  know  her  son,  a  street  loafer,  dressed  like  a  dandy,  who 
spends  his  time  in  pool-rooms  and  drinking  resorts,  seldom 
works,  and  when  he  does,  wastes  his  money  in  drink  and 
cards.  The  mother  is  a  devout  Catholic  and  would  never 
think  of  entering  the  Protestant  church  herself,  yet  she  has 
given  her  unconscious  testimony  to  the  power  of  the  preach- 
ing of  Jesus  Christ  to  transform  life. 

The  Challenge  to  the  Church 

As  Christian  workers,  we  must  aid  all  efforts  to  improve 
social  conditions,  but  we  cannot  stop  there.  We  have  an 
example  in  the  activities  of  our  Lord.  He  ministered  to 
the  physical  needs  of  the  people,  but  a  physical  ministry  was 


ASSIMILATING  THE  ITALIAN  159 

not  the  sole  object  of  his  coming  into  the  world;  he  had 
other  gifts  to  bestow.  In  answer  to  the  questions  of  John's 
disciples,  "Art  thou  the  Messiah,  or  look  we  for  another?"  he 
replied,  "Go  and  show  John  again  these  things  which  ye  do 
see  and  hear.  The  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk, 
the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  and  the  poor  have  the 
gospel  preached  to  them"  The  Jews  of  that  day  had  sunk 
to  a  superstitious  fear  of  God  and  believed  in  an  elaborate 
system  of  rites  and  ceremonies  as  their  hope  of  salvation. 
Christ  said,  "I  am  come  that  ye  might  have  life  and  that 
more  abundantly,"  and,  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the 
truth  shall  make  you  free."  To-day  there  is  great  fear  of 
being  called  sectarian.  From  much  that  so-called  liberal 
men  write  and  preach,  it  would  seem  to  be  sectarianism  to 
preach  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  means  of  salvation,  the  only 
mediator  between  man  and  God,  to  a  Roman  Catholic  or  a 
Jew.  We  must  see  the  good  in  every  system,  true,  but  the 
value  of  religion  in  a  man's  life  must  be  judged  by  its 
fruits.  To  Jesus  and  his  disciples  it  made  no  difference 
whether  men  were  Jews  or  Gentiles.  If  they  were  not  living 
according  to  the  will  of  God,  they  were  fit  objects  of 
missionary  activity.  For  this,  the  priestly  class,  the  Pharisees, 
and  the  Sadducees,  sought  to  kill  him.  They  were  very 
much  prejudiced  against  his  radical  views  and  religious 
principles.  He  cared  nothing  for  traditions  and  ceremonies 
but  declared  God  to  be  a  spirit,  who  must  be  worshiped  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  It  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  those  who 
have  shaken  the  world  out  of  its  lethargy  and  religious  in- 
difference were  men  of  mighty  conviction  who  told  the  truth 
as  God  revealed  it  to  them,  regardless  of  personal  conse- 
quences or  of  what  other  men  thought.  In  every  field  of 
human  endeavor,  in  art,  music,  and  science,  progress  is  led 
by  men  who  have  convictions  about  which  they  cannot  keep 
still,  but  must  seek  to  impart  to  their  fellow-men. 

Professor  Steiner  says:     "There  is  no  institution  in  the 
United  States  which  will  be  so  profoundly  affected  by  the 


160  SONS  OF  ITALY 

immigrant  as  the  Protestant  church.  Without  him,  she  will 
languish  and  die;  with  him  alone  she  has  a  future.  The 
Protestant  church  is  called  upon  to  lift  the  immigrant  into 
a  better  conception  of  human  relations  both  for  her  own 
sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  communities  which  she  wishes 
to  serve.  .  .  .  This  she  must  do  even  if  it  brings  her  under 
suspicion  of  proselyting.  Indeed  one  of  the  growing  weak- 
nesses of  the  Protestant  church  is  the  loss  of  those  deep  con- 
victions which  make  proselyting  easy." 


VI 

LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE 
(PROTESTANT  CHURCHES) 


A  DANGER  TO  PROTESTANTISM 

We  want  our  ministers  to  be  alive  to  the  needs  of  the  hour 
in  politics  and  in  industrial  reform,  quick  to  come  to  the  cham- 
pionship of  overworked  women  in  factories,  and  the  rescue  of  little 
children  who  are  giving  up  their  lives  that  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion may  be  kept  low.  We  want  the  message  from  the  pulpit 
to  be  heartily  in  sympathy  with  our  modern  thinking.  But  most 
of  all  does  American  Protestantism  need  a  spiritual  passion,  a 
contagious  faith  in  the  supremacy  of  God's  spiritual  order, 
and  an  alarm  at  the  misery  that  waits  on  sin.  From  many 
a  community  there  is  already  rising  a  cry  for  elemental  religion. 
With  all  their  scientific  business  success,  American  laymen  are  as- 
serting that  they  want  to  be  assured  of  God  and  immortality  and 
the  worth  of  righteousness.  They  want  companionship  in  spiritual 
loneliness,  comfort  in  hours  of  pain,  courage  in  moments  of 
moral  wavering.  Their  souls  are  athirst  for  the  Unknown,  and 
they  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  save  the  water  that  comes  from 
the  river  of  God.  If  the  awakening  of  Protestantism  were  to 
mean  simply  a  renascence  of  ethics,  or  a  sort  of  bescriptured 
positivism,  American  society  would  be  defrauded.  When  it  asks 
for  the  bread  of  life,  it  will  not  be  satisfied  with  treatises  on 
eugenics. 

— Shailer    Mathews. 

The  test  of  religion  is  ultimately  a  very  simple  one.  If  we  do 
not  love  those  whom  we  have  seen,  we  cannot  love  those  whom 
we  have  not  seen.  All  our  sentiment  about  people  at  a  distance, 
and  our  heart-stirrings  for  the  distressed  and  oppressed  and  our 
prayers  for  the  heathen  are  pointless  and  fraudulent,  if  we  are 
neglecting  the  occasions  for  service  lying  at  our  hand.  If  we 
do  not  love  our  brethren  here,  how  can  we  love  our  brethren 
elsewhere  except  as  a  pious  sentimentality?  And  if  we  do  not 
love  those  we  have  seen,  how  can  we  love  God  whom  we  have 
not  seen? 

—Hugh  Black,  The  Greater  Friendship, 


VI 


STAGES  OF  RELIGIOUS  WORK 

In  the  course  of  our  attempts  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
Italians  we  have  passed  through  two  distinct  stages.2  The 
first  may  well  be  characterized  as  the  experimental  stage. 
There  was  at  the  beginning  of  this  enterprise  no  definite 
policy  Home  mission  boards,  city  mission  societies,  and 
individual  churches  put  out  feelers  here  and  there  to  see  if 
the  Italian  would  respond  to  the  gospel  appeal.  In  the  city 
of  Brooklyn  alone  no  less  than  twenty  centers  were  opened 
to  evangelize  the  Italians.  The  most  of  these  were  short- 
lived. This  period  of  experimentation  lasted  from  1880  to 
about  1900.  Then  came  the  stage  of  permanent  work.  The 

xThe  term  "Protestant"  has  generally  an  unfavorable  connota- 
tion among  Italians.  "Evangelical,"  however,  is  accepted  and  ap- 
proved. 

2  In  connection  with  this  chapter  and  with  all  references  to 
Protestant  work  among  the  Italians  in  America,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  a  pamphlet  by  Mr.  Mangano,  "Religious  Work  for 
Italians  in  America:  A  Handbook  for  Leaders  in  Missionary 
Work,"  published  for  the  Immigrant  Work  Committee  of  the  Home 
Missions  Council  by  the  Missionary  Education  Movement.  This 
pamphlet  is  intended  as  a  supplement  to  this  book.  It  contains  a 
general  statement  by  the  author,  covering  the  whole  field  of  Italian 
work  in  America,  with  additional  statements  of  policy  contributed 
by  all  the  important  denominational  agencies  working  among  Ital- 
ians. There  is  a  directory  of  Italian  churches  and  mission  stations 
of  all  denominations,  and  a  model  program  of  work.  The  pamphlet 
is  invaluable  to  all  who  desire  a  first-hand  knowledge  of  Italian 
Work  and  methods  of  work  in  the  United  States. 

163 


,64  SONS  OF  ITALY 

conviction  had  already  been  formed  that  the  Italians  were 
in  sore  need  of  the  gospel  and  that  they  responded  to  the 
gospel  as  no  other  foreign  people  did.  Some  remarkable 
cases  of  conversion  took  place.  The  various  denominations 
began  to  show  signs  of  enthusiasm  about  the  prospects  of 
reaching  the  Italians.  Prophecies  were  made  that  in  the 
near  future  our  churches  would  be  thronged  with  these 
newcomers. 

Hitherto  the  work  had  been  carried  on  in  some  rented 
store  or  a  room  in  a  near-by  church,  and  much  was  done  in 
the  open  air.  The  tent  campaigns  in  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  and  Brooklyn  had  attracted  large  numbers  of  people 
who  eventually  served  as  nuclei  for  future  churches.  This 
second  stage  is  marked  by  the  erection  of  special  buildings 
adapted  to  the  particular  kinds  of  social  and  religious  work 
needed  by  the  Italian  communities.  Workers  and  organiza- 
tions began  to  study  methods  of  approach  and  to  formulate 
policies.  The  matter  of  training  schools  for  the  preparation 
of  workers  was  also  given  attention,  and  as  a  result  we  have 
to-day  three  institutions  that  have  well-equipped  depart- 
ments for  the  preparation  of  Italian  missionaries  and  pas- 
tors— Colgate  Theological  Seminary,  which  is  providing  men 
for  Baptist  fields;  Bloomfield  Theological  Seminary,  which 
is  furnishing  many  workers  for  the  Presbyterian  Church; 
while  the  Bible  Teachers'  Training  School  of  New  York 
has  turned  out  men  who  have  gone  into  the  work  of  various 
denominations. 

We  are  entering  now  upon  the  third  stage,  which  we 
may  call  the  intensive  stage.  There  are  still  localities  where 
new  fields  should  be  opened  up  as  in  the  past;  but  the  great 
task  before  us  during  the  next  decade  is  to  put  upon  a  more 
efficient  basis  the  already  existing  work.  We  are  face  to 
face  with  the  need  of  ministering  more  effectively  and  more 
thoroughly  to  the  populations  of  our  largest  Italian  centers. 
In  these  large  groups  of  foreign  peoples  there  are  usually  no 
Protestant  churches,  and  a  single  worker  or  two  in  a  com- 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  OPEN  AIR 

Italian  Summer  School  in  City  Mission  Tent  Campaign 
Street  Meeting,  Second  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  New  York  City 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  165 

munity  of  15,000  or  20,000  Italians  cannot  meet  the  needs 
of  the  people.  In  other  words  some  of  our  churches  and 
missions  must  become  in  reality  community  centers  with 
facilities  and  workers  sufficient  to  serve  well  all  the  people 
of  that  community.  It  is  well  enough  to  have  many  minor 
interests  here  and  there,  but  we  ought  to  have  some  interests 
*"hat  have  a  commanding  influence.  The  church  in  its  task 
of  foreign  evangelization  ought  to  see  the  value  of  concen- 
tration of  effort  as  the  great  industrial  organizations  see  it. 
There  are  a  few  Italian  churches  that  are  sufficiently 
equipped  with  buildings  and  workers  and  these  are  doing  a 
comprehensive  community  work.  The  "Good-will  Center" 
of  the  Brooklyn  City  Mission  is  located  in  the  midst  of  a 
colony  of  15,000  south  Italians.  Between  4,000  and  5,000 
attend  clubs,  classes,  or  meetings  of  the  settlement  weekly. 
A  year  ago  a  church  was  organized  with  125  carefully  taught 
and  tested  members.  The  membership  is  now  close  to  300, 
and  the  average  attendance  at  preaching  service  is  400.  The 
Sunday-school  is  flourishing,  and  the  head-workers  say  it 
could  easily  number  1,000  if  enough  competent  teachers 
could  be  secured.  The  work  serves  all  ages  through  a  day 
nursery,  a  kindergarten,  twenty  clubs  for  boys  and  girls,  a 
good  citizenship  club  of  a  hundred  men,  and  a  club  of 
Italian  mothers  which  averages  sixty  in  attendance.  Every 
possible  need  is  met:  for  music  there  is  a  band  and  a  well- 
trained  choir;  for  handcraft,  industrial  classes  and  sewing 
school;  for  amusement,  Saturday  afternoon  educational 
moving  pictures  with  an  attendance  of  1,200  children;  there 
are  plays  and  entertainments  for  their  elders,  and  for  outdoor 
life  there  are  boys'  club  hikes  and  camp  life  at  Cornwall. 
The  $8,000  a  year  spent  in  this  settlement,  if  divided  among 
eight  widely  separated  fields  where  the  sum  could  provide 
but  one  room  and  one  worker  apiece,  could  not  possibly 
reach  so  many  people  in  the  short  space  of  a  year.  Some  of 
our  smaller  missions  have  been  at  work  with  little  outside 


l66  SONS  OF  ITALY 

help  and  meager  financial  support  for  several  years  and  have 
only  from  twelve  to  twenty  members. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  ITALIAN  MISSIONS 

Attempts  to  Fuse  into  American  Church 

As  Italian  churches  and  missions  have  multiplied,  other 
questions  have  arisen.  There  is  a  wide  diversity  of  opinion 
about  how  an  Italian  church  should  be  organized.  There 
are  those  who  are  completely  out  of  sympathy  with  the  for- 
eign church.  They  contend  that  the  converted  foreigner 
should  come  into  the  membership  of  the  established  Ameri- 
can church  and  so  hasten  the  process  of  Americanization. 
This  is  the  theory  of  many  who  have  never  faced  all  the 
facts  in  the  case.  It  seems  reasonable  that  a  foreigner  in  a 
well-organized  American  church  would  absorb  more  of  the 
real  Christian  American  spirit  than  in  any  other  way. 

It  has  worked  well  in  a  few  instances  in  small  country 
churches,  when  the  foreigners  were  young,  could  understand 
English,  and  could  be  taken  into  the  social  life  of  the  mem- 
bers. Such  cases  are  desirable  but  rare.  If  the  converted 
foreigners  speak  little  English  and  are  of  the  laboring  class, 
the  attempt  is  always  a  failure.  The  vast  majority  of 
church-members  will  not  mix  with  them  and  the  Italians 
feel  keenly  their  isolation,  the  social  gulf  between  the  races, 
and  their  own  shabby  clothes. 

Some  time  ago  a  clergyman  asked  me  to  meet  with  his 
deacons  to  examine  four  Italians  converted  through  the 
efforts  of  the  Italian  missionary.  The  candidates  passed  a 
good  examination,  and  the  deacons  were  quite  willing  to 
recommend  them  for  admission  to  church-membership.  The 
pastor  looked  worried.  I  ventured  to  hope  that  he  was  joy- 
ful at  the  fruits  of  the  Italian  mission.  "Yes,  so  far  so  good, 
but  now  I  am  puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with  them.  I 
have  some  members  who  would  not  approve  of  their  coming 
into  the  regular  congregation."  Another  city  church, 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  167 

through  the  friendly  interest  of  its  assistant  pastor,  acquired 
an  Italian  member.  This  man  had  five  children,  whom  he 
wished  to  send  to  the  American  Sunday-school.  A  promi- 
nent woman  threatened  to  withdraw  her  children  if  these 
Italian  children  were  allowed  to  attend. 

Departmental  Work 

Often  a  church  situated  near  an  Italian  colony  has  be- 
come so  much  interested  in  its  needs  that  it  has  been  willing 
to  set  aside  some  room  in' the  church  for  the  work  of  Italian 
evangelization.  An  Italian  minister  preaches  to  them  in 
their  own  language.  Converts  are  received  into  the  main 
church,  whose  English  services  they  attend  only  on  rare 
occasions.  The  expenses  of  the  department  are  part  of  the 
regular  church  budget,  and  all  contributions  of  the  Italian 
congregation  go  into  the  church  treasury.  As  a  rule  the 
department  has  no  independent  ecclesiastical  organization 
and  the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  communion  are  admin- 
istered by  the  pastor  of  the  American  church.  This  is  not 
wholly  satisfactory.  Men  and  women  who  know  no  Eng- 
lish find  it  very  tiresome  to  attend  a  service  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  and  certainly  there  can  be  little  religious  inspira- 
tion or  instruction  in  a  sacrament  administered  in  a  foreign 
language.  How  many  Americans  would  keep  up  their  in- 
terest if  they  had  to  attend  a  Russian  or  Polish  service? 
Even  when  the  Italian  knows  enough  English  to  follow  a 
conversation  and  answer  a  few  words,  he  receives  little  from 
an  English  sermon.  The  vocabulary  is  unfamiliar  to  him 
and  he  still  does  his  thinking  in  his  mother  tongue. 

Another  obstacle  to  the  success  of  a  departmental  work 
is  the  lack  of  importance  given  to  the  enterprise.  If  a 
society  of  the  main  church  needs  the  Italian  room,  the 
Italian  members  are  crowded  into  some  other  room.  Italians 
resent  this.  To  them  their  service  is  exceedingly  important 
and  it  is  a  shock  to  discover  that  it  is  less  important  in 
American  eyes.  Then,  too,  in  institutional  churches  where 


i68  SONS  OF  ITALY 

clubs  and  classes  meet  every  day  in  the  week,  it  often  hap- 
pens that  while  an  Italian  service  is  in  progress,  a  social  or 
gymnastic  drill  may  be  going  on  in  the  next  room.  The 
Italian  temperament  is  particularly  sensitive  to  atmosphere, 
and  it  is  exceeding  difficult  to  preserve  a  spirit  of  worship 
under  such  conditions.  These  handicaps  should  not  obscure 
the  fact  that  there  are  undoubtedly  successful  examples  of 
work  carried  on  under  the  departmental  system. 

Branch  Church 

The  branch  or  independent  church,  with  a  separate  build- 
ing used  only  for  the  Italian  work,  has  been  found  to  accom- 
plish the  best  results. 

The  conduct  of  a  branch  church  is  similar  to  a  depart- 
mental work.  The  converts  are  all  members  of  the  mother 
church,  but  the  branch  has  its  own  officers  and  deacons,  ad- 
ministers the  ordinances,  and  has  absolute  freedom  in  con- 
ducting its  own  work.  Such  an  arrangement  has  much  to 
recommend  it.  The  relation  with  the  mother  church  is  a 
source  of  help  when  advice  is  needed  or  in  case  of  discipline, 
where  the  main  church  takes  the  responsibility  that  the 
weaker  branch  could  not  assume. 

Self-Governing  Church 

The  self-governed  Italian  church  is  organized  exactly  as 
any  American  church.  It  invariably  has  its  own  church 
building,  its  ordained  missionary  pastor  and  regularly  con- 
stituted officers,  and  it  usually  takes  care  of  its  own  current 
expenses  and  frequently  contributes  something  toward  its 
pastor's  salary  and  the  various  missionary  societies  of  the 
denomination.  Every  denomination  working  among  Italians 
has  one  or  more  such  independent  churches.  The  Congre- 
gationalists  have  a  fine  work  at  Davenport  Settlement,  New 
Haven,  and  at  Grantwood,  New  Jersey.  Other  significant 
enterprises  are  those  among  the  Baptists  at  First  Italian  in 
Buffalo,  First  Italian  in  Brooklyn,  Hurlburt  Chapel, 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  169 

Orange,  New  Jersey,  and  First  Italian,  New  Haven.  The 
Methodists  have  their  most  representative  pieces  of  work  at 
Jefferson  Park,  New  York,  First  Italian,  Chicago,  the  Peo- 
ple's Church  of  Denver,  and  Elm  Street,  Toronto.  The 
main  features  of  the  Presbyterian  work  are  at  the  Broome 
Street  Tabernacle  and  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  New 
York,  Olivet  Church,  Newark,  and  churches  in  Philadelphia 
and  Chicago.  The  Reformed  Church  in  America  has  a 
flourishing  institution  in  its  Italian  Church  at  Newburgh, 
New  York.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  enterprise  of  most 
importance  is  that  of  Grace  Chapel  in  lower  New  York. 
San  Salvatore,  New  York,  and  the  Episcopal  chapels  in 
Philadelphia  and  Boston  are  also  strong  organizations.  The 
United  Presbyterians  have  a  splendid  Italian  work  on 
Webster  Avenue,  Pittsburgh.  The  only  independent  self- 
supporting  Italian  churches  in  America  are  the  Wal- 
densian  church  on  Forty-first  Street,  New  York  City, 
and  the  Waldensian  churches  of  Gainesville,  Texas,  Val- 
dese,  North  Carolina,  and  Monett,  Missouri,  which  were 
built  and  supported  by  the  people.  These  people  have  been 
Protestant  for  centuries  and  when  they  migrate  and  make  a 
settlement,  like  the  New  England  pilgrims,  their  first  care 
is  to  build  a  church. 


MISSIONARY  EFFORTS  IN   SMALL  TOWNS  OR  VILLAGES 

In  communities  where  the  Italian  group  is  too  small  to 
make  it  at  all  feasible  to  maintain  a  missionary  among  them, 
the  local  church  can  still  accomplish  much.  Here  the  teach- 
ing of  English  is  imperatively  the  first  step,  and  the  friendli- 
ness of  Christian  neighbors  will  draw  the  people  gradually 
into  the  church. 

In  a  New  Jersey  suburban  town  a  few  consecrated  women 
started  a  sewing  school  in  a  vacant  store,  and  later  a  Sunday- 
school  was  begun.  To-day  there  are  over  a  hundred  scholars 
in  that  Sunday-school,  and  forty  or  more  of  the  parents  have 


i7o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

united  with  one  of  the  local  churches.  A  missionary  from 
an  adjoining  town  carries  on  a  weekly  service  in  their  native 
tongue  for  these  adult  converts. 

In  a  beautiful  residential  town  of  Connecticut  there  is  a 
group  of  seventy-five  Italian  families  living  by  themselves 
and  cut  off  from  any  contact  with  American  life.  A  little 
Catholic  church  was  built  there  several  years  ago,  but  since 
the  people  contributed  so  little,  the  services  have  been  dis- 
continued. Some  of  the  wealthy  ladies  of  the  community 
saw  the  need  of  these  neglected  people  and  decided  to  do 
what  they  could  for  them.  They  first  secured  a  visiting 
nurse  to  go  into  the  homes  and  show  the  mothers  how  to 
care  for  their  children,  how  to  cook  their  food,  and  how  to 
attend  to  them  when  sick.  Later  they  secured  a  large  room 
which  had  formerly  been  used  as  a  saloon.  The  place  was 
cleaned  and  put  into  shape  so  as  to  serve  for  a  sewing  school, 
a  lecture  room  and  a  place  for  social  gatherings.  The  day 
I  was  invited  to  speak,  the  room  was  full  of  mothers,  and 
the  Christian  women  of  the  town  were  serving  coffee  and 
sandwiches  over  the  transformed  bar. 

An  excellent  way  to  get  at  the  problem  first-hand  is  for 
every  church  to  appoint  an  energetic  local  missionary  com- 
mittee, whose  duty  it  would  be  to  make  a  careful  study  of 
the  foreigners  in  the  community,  gathering  accurate  in- 
formation through  personal  contact,  about  the  social,  eco- 
nomic, and  religious  conditions  of  their  foreign  neighbors. 
Then  seek,  through  English  classes,  sewing  schools,  civic 
clubs,  home  visitation,  and  personal  friendship,  to  bring  them 
under  the  ministry  of  the  church.  What  can  any  Christian 
American  do  to  reach  the  foreigner  ?  Let  him  play  the  host 
to  the  stranger.  We  too  often  blame  the  stranger  within 
our  gates  for  his  un-American  standards  of  living.  How  is 
he  ever  to  attain  the  true  American  standard  if  he  never 
crosses  the  threshold  of  an  American  home?  Not  long  ago 
a  well-educated  foreign  worker  startled  his  audience  by  tell- 
ing them  that  he  had  been  laboring  in  their  city  for  over  six 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  171 

years  and  had  never  been  invited  to  an  American  home. 
People  are  honestly  seeking  how  to  reach  Italians,  but  they 
do  not  use  the  most  potent  means  at  their  disposal  to  estab- 
lish a  point  of  contact — their  homes. 


ESSENTIAL  FACTORS 
Freedom  Necessary 

The  ideal  form  of  organization,  as  has  been  said,  is  the 
branch  or  the  so-called  independent  church  with  a  separate 
building.  This  is  best  adapted  to  train  its  members  in 
church  life  and  at  the  same  time  to  develop  a  sense  of  per- 
sonal responsibility  for  their  own  church  work.  It  means  a 
great  deal  to  have  the  Italian  congregation  feel  that  they  are 
entrusted  with  the  conduct  of  their  own  church;  that  they 
can  elect  their  officers;  that  they  can  collect  money  and  dis- 
pose of  it  according  to  their  own  vote  and  judgment.  There 
is  development  and  growth  in  the  knowledge  that  they  then 
have  something  to  do  themselves.  When  an  Italian  is  elected 
to  any  of  the  church  offices,  he  begins  to  feel  his  responsi- 
bility. This  is  surely  one  of  the  elements  that  contributes  to 
his  becoming  an  individual  and  a  personality. 

But  a  clear  distinction  must  be  made  between  a  church 
that  is  organized  for  the  conduct  of  its  own  work  and  an 
independent  church  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term.  When 
such  a  church  is  organized  it  should  be  made  very  clear  to 
the  members  that  no  church  can  be  actually  independent 
until  it  is  able  to  provide  for  all  its  own  expenses.  There 
is  no  objection  to  considering  the/  members  of  an  organized 
church  as  members  of  some  American  church.  Indeed,  there 
are  some  advantages  in  it,  especially  if  it  serves  the  purpose 
of  developing  interest  in  the  Italians  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans.  But  this  relation  must  not  deprive  the  members 
of  the  Italian  congregation  of  the  right  of  initiative  or  of 
independent  action.  If  they  are  ever  to  reach  the  point  of 
self-direction,  they  must  now  be  given  considerable  freedom, 


172 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


under  some  wise  but  not  suffocating  supervision,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  made  to  feel  their  personal  obligation  for 
reaching  the  people  of  their  community.  The  idea  that  the 
work  carried  on  for  Italians  is  an  enterprise  that  devolves 
upon  Americans  exclusively  and  not  upon  the  Italians,  is 
too  common  among  both  peoples.  Too  often  have  Ameri- 
cans so  completely  dictated  and  controlled  the  activities  of 
the  mission  church  that  the  Italians  have  said,  whenever  an 
appeal  has  been  made  to  them  for  their  participation  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  work,  "This  is  the  Americans'  business: 
let  them  do  it." 

In  view  of  the  numerous  disasters  in  the  past,  leaders  in 
foreign  work  are  somewhat  diffident  about  granting  much 
freedom  to  the  foreign  congregation.  The  tendency  is  to 
make  wards  of  these  converts  and  not  self-directing  and  inde- 
pendent Protestant  Christians.  The  Roman  Church  from 
which  they  come  has  too  long  fostered  this  attitude.  It 
holds  that  the  clergy  constitute  the  church,  there  can  be  no 
church  without  the  bishop,  the  people  have  no  part  in  the 
conduct  of  the  organization,  they  simply  are  the  recipients 
of  gifts  which  the  clergy  possess  and  can  dispense  through 
the  mass  and  the  various  functions  of  their  office.  Our 
view  being  diametrically  opposed  to  this,  we  are  compelled 
in  the  very  nature  of  the  case  so  to  treat  our  Italian  converts 
as  to  develop  them  into  self-respecting  independent  sup- 
porters of  their  own  church  work.  It  is  true  that  Italians, 
unused  to  democracy  in  church  life,  will  doubtless  make 
many  mistakes,  if  given  large  freedom.  But  who  does  not 
make  mistakes  in  the  course  of  a  life  of  development?  Every 
precaution  should  be  taken  to  provide  against  serious  blun- 
ders, but  we  must  know  that  by  their  very  mistakes  they 
will  better  learn  to  conduct  their  own  affairs. 

Cooperation  of  American  Brothers 

Experience  drawn  from  a  wide  observation  has  shown 
that  too  large  liberties,  which  are  usually  attended  by  official 


MARIE  LOUISE  DIETZ  MEMORIAL 
(FIRST  ITALIAN  BAPTIST  CHURCH),  BROOKLYN 

Camp  Fire  Girls 

The  Sewing  School 

The  Plant 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  173 

neglect,  have  led  to  many  failures  in  our  Italian  work.  Espe- 
cially has  this  been  true  where  a  national  or  state  organiza- 
tion has  taken  the  initiative  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission, 
and  failed  to  secure  the  cooperation  and  loving  supervision 
of  the  local  church.  The  tendency  now,  on  the  part  of  all 
denominations,  is  to  center  authority  in  the  local  church  or 
city  mission  organization,  for  they  are  in  a  position  to  know 
best  the  needs  of  the  mission  under  their  care.  My  own 
personal  feeling  regarding  the  matter  is  that  unless  the 
cooperation  of  the  local  church  or  individuals  can  be  en- 
listed, it  would  be  better  not  to  attempt  the  task  at  all.  The 
risks  are  too  great  and  the  consequences  too  serious  for  us 
to  take  chances,  unless  the  leader  has  been  found  who  by 
his  own  personal  character  and  ability  can  secure  that 
cooperation. 

A  Cooperative  Supervision 

In    the    matter   of    cooperation    and   supervision    certain 
methods  have  been  tried  and  proved  successful. 

1.  In  a  number  of  missions  are  to  be  found  consecrated 
and  devoted  men  and  women  who  have  made  the  Italian 
mission  their  special  care.     In  many  instances  they  have  to 
forego  the  services  of  their  own  church  in  order  to  be  of 
help  and  guidance  to  their  brethren  of  a  foreign  tongue.     It 
has  been  said  truly  concerning  a  splendid  layman  in  one  of 
our  missions  in  New  England,  that  he  serves  as  a  balance- 
wheel  in  all  deliberations.     He  has  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  the  Italians  and,  although  he  does  not  seek  to 
impose  his  own  will,  when  he  expresses  his  judgment  about 
any  matter,  the  brethren  usually  follow  his  suggestions. 

2.  In  some  of  our  large  cities  the  executive  officer  of  the 
city  mission  society  takes  the  matter  of  supervision  in  his 
own  hands.    The  success  of  this  method  depends  very  largely 
upon  how  far  he  is  able  to  understand  and  sympathize  with 
the  Italian  temperament  and  point  of  view.    To  do  this  task 
well  there  must  be  real  love  for  the  foreigner  and  respect 


1 74  SONS  OF  ITALY 

for  and  confidence  in  the  people  who  are  entrusted  with  the 
task  of  leadership.  In  other  words,  there  must  be  a  brotherly 
and  cordial  spirit  between  the  executive  officer  of  the  mission- 
ary organization  and  the  Italian  workers.  Too  often  there 
is  the  feeling  of  distrust  and  lack  of  respect  that  is  mutual. 
Wherever  there  is  lacking  that  mutual  understanding  and 
love  between  workers  and  supervisors,  the  mission  is  bound 
to  feel  the  shock  and  languish  as  a  consequence. 

3.  The  method  that  commends  itself  most  generally, 
wherever  it  is  possible,  is  a  cooperative  committee  appointed 
by  some  local  church  which  takes  the  mission  under  its  pro- 
tecting care.  This  has  been  tried  out  in  a  number  of  places 
and  has  proved  workable  as  well  as  very  much  appreciated 
by  the  Italian  congregation.  This  method  is  applicable  to 
any  and  all  forms  of  Italian  missions,  regardless  of  their 
type  of  organization.  It  is  especially  useful  in  connection 
with  the  work  of  the  so-called  independent  organized  church. 
It  functions  in  the  following  manner.  The  local  church 
nearest  to  the  mission  or  the  one  most  vitally  interested  in 
the  work  of  the  mission  appoints  a  committee  of  three  or 
four  of  its  own  members,  persons  who  are  really  sympathetic 
to  the  foreigner  and  who  are  willing  to  give  some  attention 
to  the  study  of  the  people  whom  they  are  about  to  assist. 
This  committee  then  serves  as  a  joint  committee  with  the 
official  board  of  the  Italian  congregation,  meeting  at  regu- 
larly stated  times  to  take  counsel  and  discuss  frankly  all 
questions  that  arise  in  connection  with  the  work  of  that 
mission  and  to  plan  for  any  departures  from  the  ordinary 
lines  of  activities.  This  combined  committee  receives  also 
the  monthly  reports  of  the  work  done  by  the  staff. 

This  form  of  cooperation  and  supervision  does  not  in  any 
way  interfere  with  the  free  action  of  the  Italian  congrega- 
tion, while  at  the  same  time  it  furnishes  splendid  oppor- 
tunity for  securing  the  cooperation  of  the  American  church. 
Occasionally  there  are  rumors  about  American  interference 
in  the  conduct  of  Italian  work.  But  usually  these  come  from 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  175 

Italian  workers  who  do  not  appreciate  America  and  Ameri- 
cans and  the  great  help  which  they  must  necessarily  render 
our  enterprise  if  we  are  to  succeed.  What  would  the  Pres- 
byterian Mission  in  Kansas  City  do  were  it  not  for  the  thirty 
volunteer  workers  from  the  American  church?  What 
would  the  Baptist  Mission  in  Orange  do  were  it  not  for 
loyal  and  generous  assistance  rendered  by  the  fifty  or  more 
persons  who  gladly  cooperate  in  the  task?  What  would 
the  Congregational  work  at  the  Davenport  Memorial  in 
New  Haven  be  without  the  splendid  care  of  American  help- 
ers? But  if  they  form  such  an  important  part  in  our  work, 
it  is  but  just  and  fair  that  they  be  informed  about  our 
plans,  methods,  and  ideals  of  work,  and  that  they  have  a 
right  to  make  suggestions  about  them  if  they  see  fit. 

There  are  two  very  important  ends  served  by  this  arrange- 
ment. It  is  a  protection  against  ill-advised  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Italian  congregation,  and  at  the  same  time  it 
provides  a  means  whereby  our  American  friends  can  better 
understand  Italian  problems  and  views  and  more  fully  sym- 
pathize with  the  Italian  temperament.  Both  sides  would 
learn  to  respect,  love,  and  help  each  other  more,  as  they 
thus  become  acquainted. 

Self-support 

There  are  300  Italian  Protestant  churches  and  missions 
in  the  United  States  with  something  over  20,000  members 
who  contributed  during  the  past  year  a  total  of  $50,000,  at 
a  rate  of  $2.50  per  capita,  toward  their  own  support,  while 
about  $400,000  is  annually  spent  by  home  and  city  mission 
boards  and  individual  churches  for  the  support  of  this  work. 
The  question  is  often  raised  as  to  how  long  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  expend  this  large  sum  of  money,  and  when  will 
Italian  churches  be  able  to  care  for  their  own  work?  In 
investigating  causes  for  the  present  conditions  certain  facts 
appeared. 

One  of  the  main  reasons  for  the  alienation  of  Italians 


i76  SONS  OF  ITALY 

from  the  Roman  Church  is  the  fact  that  the  priests  have 
extorted  money  from  the  people  in  every  way  open  to  them. 
The  people  have  felt  the  injustice  of  the  system  whereby 
those  with  plenty  of  money  could  get  the  services  of  the 
church,  while  the  poor  must  go  without.  The  high  fee  of 
$10  for  performing  the  marriage  ceremony  led  some  of  the 
older  immigrants,  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  to  dispense 
with  it  altogether,  and  not  a  few  of  our  Italian  ministers 
have  had  the  experience  of  marrying  a  man  and  woman, 
father  and  mother  of  many  children,  who  had  lived  true  to 
each  other,  though  unmarried. 

To  offset  the  belief  that  religion  can  be  bought  and  paid 
for,  the  Protestants  have  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  gospel 
of  Christ  is  free  to  all.  In  the  church  and  on  the  public 
streets  the  missionaries  have  done  all  in  their  power  to  make 
the  people  understand  that  Protestantism  grants  no  special 
privilege,  accepts  no  payment  for  a  dispensation.  The  people 
have  accepted  these  statements  and  are  acting  upon  them. 
It  is  a  matter  of  concern  to  many  of  the  leaders  in  Italian 
work  to  train  the  people  to  self-support.  This  must  be  done, 
but  wisdom  and  tact  must  be  used.  Some  time  ago  I  met 
an  Italian  who  had  received  a  communication  from  the  treas- 
urer of  his  church,  advising  him  that  he  was  considerably 
behind  on  his  weekly  pledge.  Said  he,  "I  left  the  Catholic 
Church  seventeen  years  ago,  because  they  tried  to  force  me 
to  pay  when  I  couldn't,  and  now,  here  I  am  out  of  work 
and  cannot  meet  my  family  expenses,  and  I  receive  a  bill 
from  the  church.  I  shall  not  go  to  church ;  I  have  no  money 
to  give." 

While  the  Roman  Church  manages  to  secure  money  from 
the  people,  it  does  not  do  so  by  the  direct  method  of  volun- 
tary gifts.  It  is  obtained  in  indirect  ways  for  which  the 
people  suppose  they  receive  some  valuable  equivalent,  such  as 
masses  for  the  dead,  special  feasts  in  honor  of  saints,  the 
sale  of  objects  of  indulgence,  as  medals,  scapulars,  printed 
prayers,  beads,  and  candles.  Large  sums  of  money  are  re- 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  177 

ceived  also  for  the  yearly  masses  which  societies  pay  for  in 
honor  of  their  favorite  saints.  In  the  coal  regions  and  in 
the  construction  camps,  the  company,  acting  on  direction  of 
the  priest,  in  some  cases  deducts  a  small  weekly  sum  from 
each  envelope,  which  goes  for  the  payment  on  the  church 
building.  The  fees  for  baptism,  funerals,  and  weddings  are 
taken  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  is  difficult  to  train  our 
church-members  in  direct,  voluntary,  regular  giving,  al- 
though it  must  be  said  that  the  converts  to  Jesus  Christ 
who  do  give  systematically  through  the  envelope  and  pledge 
system  give  more  than  they  ever  gave  directly  to  the  Roman 
Church.  The  matter  of  regular  contribution  rests  wholly 
with  the  Italian  pastor.  Some  men  secure  a  fine  response 
from  a  small  congregation.  If  a  man  has  taken  special  pains 
to  educate  his  people  to  the  necessity  and  value  of  regular 
giving,  he  gets  results. 

A  study  of  the  detailed  reports  of  local  churches  shows 
that  not  always  do  the  churches  upon  which  the  most  money 
is  spent  report  the  largest  increase  of  membership.  This  is 
because  considerable  sums  of  money  are  spent  in  social  and 
educational  work,  such  as  day  kindergarten,  clinics,  boy 
scouts,  gymnasium  classes,  and  clubs.  This  work  is  very 
expensive  and  does  not  bring  immediate  results  in  church 
membership,  but  by  wrork  in  the  homes  and  personal  work 
with  individuals,  keeping  in  close,  friendly  contact  with  all 
the  youth  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  church  by  the 
various  activities,  it  is  laying  the  foundation  for  large  future 
ingathering.  It  requires  no  argument  to  prove  that  the  de- 
nominations that  are  now  wisely  investing  the  largest  sums 
of  money  in  our  foreign  colonies,  in  such  projects  as  the 
Good-will  Center  in  Brooklyn,  the  Italian  Institute  in 
Chicago,  the  social  and  religious  center  in  Ensley,  Alabama, 
or  the  church  on  Dufrerin  Street,  Toronto,  are  sure,  in  the 
years  to  come,  to  exert  an  immeasurable  influence  on  those 
communities.  It  is  true  that  this  work  costs,  because  for- 
eign churches  must  offer  social,  educational,  and  recreational 


17g  SONS  OF  ITALY 

features  that  our  English-speaking  churches  in  general  do 
not  need,  since  American  parents  realize  these  needs  and 
supply  them  for  their  children. 

TRANSITION  FROM  ITALIAN  TO  ENGLISH 

Respect  for  Italian  Traditions 

Some  thoughtless  people  consider  everything  foreign  of 
little  value,  and  unreasonably  expect  Italians  to  forget  their 
country  and  national  heroes  and  be  lost  in  wonder  and  ad- 
miration for  everything  American.  A  southern  Italian  was 
walking  through  the  streets  of  lower  New  York,  selling 
plaster  casts  of  saints  and  well-known  men.  Among  these 
were  some  small  busts  of  Garibaldi,  dear  to  all  true  Italian 
hearts,  and  also  some  of  George  Washington.  A  man  who 
considered  himself  a  true  American  stopped  the  pedler, 
and,  picking  up  the  bust  of  Garibaldi,  said,  "Who  is  this?" 
Full  of  enthusiasm,  the  Italian  replied,  "The  great  Giuseppe 
Garibaldi,  Italian  great  man."  Then,  to  his  utter  amaze- 
ment, his  would-be  teacher  flung  the  bust  on  the  pavement, 
saying,  "Throw  away  the  foreigner;  you  must  be  an  Ameri- 
can here."  Instantly  the  Italian  picked  up  the  George 
Washington  cast,  and,  dashing  it  so  violently  to  the  side- 
walk that  it  broke  into  bits,  he  exclaimed  hotly,  "You  do 
that  to  my  Garibaldi,  I  do  this  to  your  damn  George  Wash- 
ington." 

We  should  encourage  Italians  to  remember  the  grandeur 
of  their  history,  to  preserve  the  best  of  their  traditions,  to 
feel  that,  as  a  race,  they  have  great  gifts  to  contribute  to 
America  and  that,  as  individuals,  they  will  strive  to  be 
worthy  of  their  inheritance. 

Superficial  Americanization 

We  must  guard,  however,  against  a  zeal  for  too  quick 
external  Americanization  of  these  people  by  many  of  our 
well-meaning  but  short-sighted  volunteer  workers.  They 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  179 

urge  the  young  men  and  women  to  throw  off  their  race  cus- 
toms and  adopt  American  ones.  This  is  exceedingly  danger- 
ous. In  their  impatience  of  everything  Italian,  boys  and 
girls  despise  the  moral  restraints  of  their  parents,  do  not 
respect  the  authority  of  the  home,  are  ashamed  of  their 
ignorant,  Italian-speaking  mothers,  and  become  a  law  unto 
themselves.  The  thoughtful  young  Italian  pastor  of  Grace 
Chapel,  New  York,  points  out  that  "much  of  the  Italian 
crime  in  this  country  is  committed  by  boys  and  men  of  this 
detached  group,  neither  really  Italians  nor  yet  Americans." 
True  Americanization  is  a  slow  internal  process.  It  conies 
from  a  culture  of  soul  and  mind,  and  where  moral  character 
has  been  established  and  the  best"  ideals  of  this  country  are 
understood,  the  external  manners  and  customs  take  care  of 
themselves. 

Separation  of  Young  People 

The  children  educated  in  the  public  schools  are  becoming 
too  rapidly  separated  from  their  parents.  The  church 
should  foster  and  protect  the  unity  of  Italian  family  life. 
"But,"  says  a  perplexed  worker,  "the  children  speak  and 
understand  English;  they  speak  very  little  Italian  at  home; 
they  cannot  understand  Italian  sermons;  why  not  let  the 
young  people  become  members  of  an  American  church?" 

Experience  has  shown  that  American  churches,  although 
cordial  in  their  reception  of  these  foreigners,  do  not  continue 
to  give  them  the  parental  care  the  foreign  church  would. 
This  was  tried  in  Brooklyn  some  time  ago.  An  unwise 
person  induced  several  Italian  young  people  to  leave  the 
Italian  church  and  unite  with  an  American  church.  The 
result  was  that  for  a  short  time  considerable  attention  was 
paid  to  them,  but  soon  they  were  forgotten,  for  they  did 
not  and  could  not  really  mix.  In  a  few  months  these  young 
members  drifted  away,  and,  being  too  proud  to  return  to  the 
church  of  which  they  had  formerly  been  members,  they  were 
lost  to  organized  Christianity. 


igo  SONS  OF  ITALY 

The  absence  of  young  people  from  the  regular  meetings 
of  the  church  detracts  from  the  interest  and  life  of  the 
services.  If  we  are  really  desirous  of  reaching  a  community, 
we  must  make  every  effort  to  keep  our  people  together.  The 
religious  life  of  any  family  is  stronger,  more  enthusiastic, 
more  vital,  if  all  attend  one  church  and  have  common  inter- 
ests there. 

Two  other  and  better  solutions  to  the  problem  have  been 
worked  out.  One  is  an  English  preaching  service  for  the 
children  and  young  people.  This  is  following  a  precedent 
successfully  carried  out  in  a  number  of  German  and  Swedish 
churches.  The  service  should  be  made  attractive  and  in- 
spiring, with  music  and  a  short  practical  sermon.  Give  the 
young  people  something  to  do  either  in  choir,  as  ushers,  or 
in  preparation  for  special  services — something  to  develop  re- 
sponsibility for  church  life.  These  boys  and  girls  are  the 
future  church.  The  second  method,  also  good,  and  perhaps 
best,  is  to  have  classes  in  Italian,  to  teach  the  boys  and  girls 
their  mother  tongue.  They  can  then  understand  and  parti- 
cipate in  all  the  religious  meetings  of  the  church.  This  helps 
to  bridge  the  chasm  between  parents  and  children,  for  as 
the  children  study  their  native  language,  their  national 
heroes,  the  cause  and  growth  of  national  customs,  their  self- 
respect  is  quickened,  and  they  receive  a  more  sympathetic 
understanding  of  their  parents'  point  of  view.  Instead  of 
being  ashamed  of  being  Italians,  wishing  to  change  their 
names  to  hide  the  fact  as  some  have  done,  these  young  people 
become  self-respecting  and  eager  to  prove  to  their  adopted 
country  that  they  are  not  undesirable,  but  that  they  will 
lead  lives  which  will  command  the  respect  of  Americans. 

Most  intelligent  people  consider  it  desirable  to  know  one 
or  more  modern  languages,  and  the  commonwealth  is  at 
great  expense  to  teach  French,  German,  or  Italian  in  our 
high  schools  and  colleges.  The  ability  to  use  two  languages 
is  just  as  desirable  for  our  young  Italian-Americans,  and 
when  it  serves  to  unite  family  life  and  make  the  young 


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i-3 

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LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  181 

respect  and  tolerate  the  opinions  of  their  parents,  even  if 
they  cannot  endorse  them,  a  great  good  is  accomplished. 
Where  this  has  been  tried,  the  young  people  have  also  volun- 
tarily done  considerable  missionary  work  among  the  olde* 
people,  and  by  keeping  in  touch  through  the  language  with 
the  inner  currents  of  life  in  Italian  colonies,  they  are  fitted 
to  become  an  influence  for  good.  The  one  essential  thing 
in  forming  such  a  class  or  any  .class  is  that  all  workers  shall 
cordially  cooperate  to  favor  the  plan. 

English  or  Italian  in  Sunday-school? 

The  Italian  congregation  has  sometimes  noted  with  alarm 
the  alienation  of  its  young  people  from  church  services, 
through  well-meant  but  unwise  influence  of  Sunday-school 
teachers  who  wished  to  rapidly  Americanize  their  pupils. 
"You  wouldn't  marry  an  Italian  now,"  said  such  a  teacher 
to  one  girl  who  had  graduated  from  high  school  and  later 
from  a  hospital  nursing  course;  "you're  a  real  American 
now.  I  don't  see  why  you  should  care  to  go  to  an  Italian 
church;  come  with  me  to  my  American  church."  And  so 
this  bright  girl  who,  with  her  trained  mind,  could  teach  a 
class  in  her  own  Sunday-school  and  so  develop  her  own 
Christian  character  through  service,  contributes  nothing  to 
Italian  work  and  attends  irregularly  an  American  church 
where  there  is  nothing  for  her  to  do  and  where  her  talents 
remain  hidden.  The  chances  are  she  wrill  drift  out  of  the 
American  church  altogether  in  time.  Such  instances  have 
led  one  or  two  Italian  churches  to  abolish  English  in  the 
Sunday-schools,  to  get  rid  of  the  American  teachers,  and 
use  only  Italian  at  all  services.  This  is  a  serious  mistake. 
The  children  who  learn  English  at  school,  must  be  taught 
in  English  in  Sunday-school,  and  by  teachers  who  have  had 
mature  Christian  experience  and  special  training  for  Sunday- 
school  work.  In  some  Italian  churches  of  long  standing 
there  are  young  people  who  have  growrn  up  in  the  church 
and  Sunday-school  from  the  primary  to  the  advanced  classes. 


,82  SONS  OF  ITALY 

These  can  be  utilized  as  teachers,  and,  understanding  their 
pupils  as  an  outsider  cannot,  often  achieve  excellent  results. 


LEADERSHIP 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized  that  there  must  be 
no  premature  haste  in  endeavoring  to  evolve  a  full-fledged 
American  church  out  of  an  Italian  congregation.  The  rea- 
sonable thing  to  do  is  to  secure  as  workers  among  Italians 
men  and  women  who  comprehend  the  real  essentials  of 
Americanism,  and  it  makes  little  difference  in  what  lan- 
guage they  communicate  these  ideas — the  Italians  will  be 
truly  Americanized.  It  should  be  a  matter  of  serious  con- 
cern that  those  who  are  placed  in  charge  of  Italian  mission 
work  should  have  in  the  very  fiber  of  their  lives  the  real 
Christian  spirit  of  America.  The  Italians  are  eager  after 
all  to  become  Americans,  and,  becoming  deeply  attached  to 
their  teachers,  imitate  the  Americanism  they  see  in  them. 

Italian  Pastors 

It  is  one  of  the  axioms  in  Christian  work  that  the  per- 
sonal life  of  the  worker  is  far  more  potent  in  the  long  run 
than  what  he  or  she  may  say.  If  there  is  any  place  where 
nobility  of  character  counts  in  the  activities  of  the  Christian 
church,  it  is  when  religious  leaders  attempt  work  among 
those  who  have  broken  with  the  Roman  Church.  Often  the 
reason  for  their  break  is  the  loss  of  esteem  and  respect  for 
the  clergy.  No  Protestant  minister  has  authority  over  his 
people  because  of  his  robe  or  his  office.  Any  authority  or 
respect  he  secures  comes  through  his  individual  worth.  He 
must  make  his  own  position  in  the  community  which  he 
serves.  If  he  is  the  true  sort  of  a  man,  the  people  will  soon 
begin  to  say,  "The  Protestant  missionary  is  a  good  man,  he 
is  better  than  many  priests,  he  tries  to  help  people."  The 
influence  of  an  Italian  mission  in  any  community  is  the 
measure  of  the  character  of  the  man  who  leads  it.  The 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  183 

Italian,  because  of  his  idealism,  is  a  hero-worshiper.  He 
will  follow  heart  and  soul  the  man  who  wins  his  respect 
and  friendship. 

But  goodness  and  personal  character,  though  they  be  in- 
dispensable in  a  religious  leader,  are  not  sufficient  to  make 
him  develop  a  lasting  and  progressive  work.  For  some 
years  our  various  organizations  doing  work  among  Italians 
did  little  or  nothing  in  the  way  of  training  men  for  this 
important  field.  They,  simply  ran  their  chances  on  finding 
a  man  here  and  there,  considering  themselves  especially  for- 
tunate when  they  found  a  former  Roman  Catholic  priest  or  ' 
some  one  who  had  received  some  training  in  Italy  under 
Protestant  influence.  There  was  a  common  expression  in 
Italy  that  any  one  who  did  not  "make  good"  over  there  was 
shipped  to  America.  This  statement  was  not  without  a 
basis  of  truth,  though  it  must  be  said  in  all  fairness  to  those 
workers  who  come  from  Italy  that  many  of  them  have  done 
splendid  work. 

Qualifications  for  Leadership 

Leaders  are  now  awake  to  the  fact  that  not  every  one  is 
qualified  to  be  an  Italian  missionary.  What  headway  can 
the  uneducated  man  make  against  the  powerful  antagonists 
that  are  arrayed  against  the  Protestant  propaganda?  On 
the  one  hand  stand  the  priests,  who  are  exceedingly  active 
in  their  efforts  to  hold  the  Italians  and  who  use  every  oppor- 
tunity and  means  to  discredit  the  Protestant  work,  while  on 
the  other  hand  are  the  ever-present  groups  of  atheistic 
socialists  who  are  carrying  on  an  aggressive  antireligious 
propaganda  through  debate,  the  printed  page,  and  personal 
conversation.  The  Italian  missionary  should  be  furnished 
with  historical  knowledge  regarding  the  Roman  Church  and 
her  teachings,  and  he  must  also  familiarize  himself  with  the 
history  and  content  of  socialism  as  well  as  with  the  utter- 
ances of  the  materialistic  philosophers.  He  must  be  able  to 
give  a  good  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  him,  to  sift  the 


!84  SONS  OF  ITALY 

good  out  of  the  arguments  of  his  adversaries,  and  it  will  not 
do  simply  to  point  to  a  passage  of  Scripture  before  people  to 
whom  Scripture  means  nothing,  but  on  the  contrary  is 
looked  upon  as  a  book  of  fables  and  superstition. 

One  of  the  things  that  we  have  learned  by  experience  is 
that,  while  there  is  power  in  the  emotional  appeal,  it  is  the 
appeal  that  is  made  to  the  intellect  that  wins  the  allegiance 
of  the  Italian.  He  is  ready  to  argue  the  matter;  he  wants 
to  know  the  difference  between  the  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  positions.  Even  with  the  illiterate  peasant,  we 
must  make  the  appeal  to  mind  before  we  make  an  effort  to 
reach  his  heart.  It  naturally  results  therefore  that  a  com- 
plete moral  transformation  does  not  always  follow  when  an 
Italian  joins  the  church.  That  is  an  effect  which  comes 
gradually.  But  he  must  be  convinced  that  the  Protestant 
point  of  view  is  better  and  higher  and  more  reasonable 
before  he  will  express  himself  as  favorable  to  it.  Then  he 
will  give  himself  to  it  with  all  the  enthusiasm  in  his  nature. 

The  choicest  spirits,  the  most  highly  trained  minds,  the 
most  devoted  and  consecrated  men  and  women,  are  needed 
to  act  as  the  leaven  in  the  great  inert  masses  of  foreign 
populations.  It  is  a  task  that  will  cost  not  only  money,  but 
even  the  very  life-blood  of  God's  children,  but  it  is  worth  it. 
For  a  number  of  years  now  the  representatives  of  our  foreign 
missionary  societies  have  been  crying  with  a  loud  voice  for 
the  best  talent  of  America  to  go  into  foreign  lands.  Their 
cry  has  been  heard,  and  each  year  the  choicest  best-trained 
young  men  and  women  from  our  various  colleges  and  uni- 
versities have  given  themselves  heart  and  soul  to  that  great 
enterprise.  Has  the  time  not  come  for  us  to  raise  our  voices 
in  behalf  of  the  needs  of  our  own  land  ?  What  is  necessary 
to  make  the  church  awaken  to  her  great  responsibility  and 
duty?  She  cannot  help  but  hear  the  cry  of  the  man  from 
Macedonia,  pleading  in  an  unknown  tongue  for  help  to 
learn  about  God.  Will  the  young  men  and  the  young 
women  of  to-day  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  call  of  the  foreigner 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  185 

in  America?  Is  the  church  prepared  to  see  America  swal- 
lowed up  in  superstition  and  gross  materialism?  If  not, 
then  she  must  inspire  her  children  to  put  high  value  upon 
the  service  which  in  this  generation  is  necessary  to  conserve 
the  best  in  American  life  and  to  add  to  the  spiritual  patri- 
mony which  has  been  committed  to  them. 

There  are  devoted  souls  round  about  us  who  are,  in  their 
own  quiet  way,  setting  .forces  in  motion  which  will  continue 
in  their  operation  so  long  as  the  world  shall  last.  The 
light  which  was  so  graciously  given  to  them  they  have  al- 
ready made  burn  brighter  and  have  passed  it  on  to  others. 
A  noble  woman  in  New  York  City,  full  of  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Italian  evangelization,  found  a  young  man  that 
gave  promise  of  development  and,  with  much  patience  and 
personal  sacrifice,  she  provided  for  him  a  liberal  education, 
worked  with  him  and  for  him,  until  she  sees  him  to-day,  to 
her  great  satisfaction,  the  pastor  of  the  largest  Italian  church 
in  the  city.  The  wife  of  a  pastor  of  a  New  England  town, 
fired  with  passion  to  see  Italians  converted  to  Jesus  Christ, 
made  it  her  business  to  cultivate  and  lead  and  inspire,  by 
her  own  generous  nature,  two  young  Italians,  and  to-day 
they  are  effectively  preaching  the  gospel  to  their  own  people. 

Ex-Priests 

There  has  been  a  common  impression  among  many  people 
that  converted  priests  must  be  especially  valuable  in  the 
worl  of  Italian  evangelization.  But  the  priestly  attitude 
of  superiority  and  dictation  is  hard  to  shake  off.  We  do  not 
wish  to  make  wards  of  Italians,  but  we  aim  at  developing 
self-directing  Christians,  dependent  on  their  own  consciences 
for  decision  between  right  and  wrong.  It  is  also  hard  for 
an  ex-priest  to  acquire  the  idea  of  genuine  service  to  his 
people.  He  has  been  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  thought 
foreign  to  our  Protestant  one,  and  while  he  may  have  broken 
away  from  the  Roman  Church,  disgusted  with  her  super- 
ficiality, he  still  retains  some  of  her  theological  conceptions. 


!86  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Finally,  the  practical  relation  between  preaching  and  prac- 
tise is  hard  to  understand.  The  answer  I  received  from 
two  priests  who  had  been  reprimanded  for  being  false  to  the 
gospel  they  preached  was,  "What  has  my  own  life  to  do 
with  my  work?  Cannot  I  preach  a  good  sermon?"  There 
are  exceptions  to  all  rules,  but  my  experience  would  lead 
me  to  avoid  taking  for  our  mission  work  men  who  have 
studied  many  years  for  the  priesthood. 

Americans  Who  Learn  the  Italian  Language 

In  view  of  the  great  need  of  properly  trained  Italian 
workers  and  the  fact  that  this  need  cannot  be  adequately 
supplied,  the  suggestion  has  been  made  that  Americans  with 
talent  for  foreign  languages  be  encouraged  to  prepare  them- 
selves for  the  task  of  Italian  evangelization.  There  is  some- 
thing to  be  said  in  favor  of  such  a  move  and  yet,  on  the 
whole,  the  few  experiments  that  have  been  made  along  this 
line  do  not  justify  us  in  adopting  such  a  policy  except  in 
very  rare  cases. 

While  the  Italian  can  have  respect  for  the  American 
worker,  he  will  not  open  his  heart  or  reveal  his  innermost 
soul  save  to  one  of  his  own  race  who  has  won  his  confidence. 
The  Italian  knows  and  understands  the  mode  of  approach 
to  his  own  people  in  a  way  that  few  Americans  ever  can. 
He,  by  intuition,  can  present  the  message  to  his  countrymen 
in  a  way  that  will  best  meet  their  needs.  Ministering  to 
the  souls  of  men  is  an  exceedingly  delicate  task,  and  some- 
times the  wrong  word  or  the  wrong  attitude  will  make  it 
impossible  to  approach  the  man  or  woman  in  question. 
There  is  a  common  impression  that  if  a  man  has  a  smile  on 
his  face  and  can  say,  "Bene"  "Bravo''  and  "Son  felice" 
he  can  make  his  way  into  the  heart  of  an  Italian.  This 
is  good  for  the  occasional  passer-by,  but  will  not  be  suf- 
ficient for  a  religious  teacher.  To  meet  the  man  in  sor- 
row or  in  the  critical  stages  of  his  life,  one  must  have  a 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  language  he  is  to  use.  The 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  187 

story  is  told  of  a  very  genial  man  who  always  expressed  his 
joy  and  approval  at  anything  Italians  said  to  him.  On  one 
occasion  a  poor  man  had  just  lost  his  wife,  and  his  little 
child  was  at  the  point  of  death.  He  began  by  telling  the 
genial  American  about  his  sorrow,  saying,  "My  wife  was 
taken  with  a  stroke  last  night  and  died."  Before  he  could  go 
further  the  American,  with  a  broad  smile  on  his  face,  ex- 
claimed, "Bene,  bene,  jono  contento!"  (Well,  well,  I  am 
glad!)  The  Italian  continued,  "My  little  girl  is  very  ill 
and  may  die  before  to-morrow."  "Bravo,  I  shall  come  to 
your  house  to  take  dinner  with  you."  The  dear,  good 
American  had  supposed  the  Italian  was  giving  him  good  news 
about  his  family.  The  poor  Italian  naturally  turned  away 
in  disgust. 

Many  costly  mistakes  have  been  made  in  mission  work 
by  persons  who  have  no  comprehension  of  Italian  psychology 
and  temperament.  To  illustrate,  some  time  ago  an  Ameri- 
can who  had  for  some  years  been  engaged  in  religious  work 
in  Italy  was  invited  by  the  American  in  charge  to  speak  at 
one  of  the  missions  in  one  of  our  largest  cities,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  address  was  asked  to  extend  the  invitation  to 
the  people.  The  speaker  asked  all  those  who  believed  what 
he  said  and  would  like  to  become  Christians  to  raise  their 
hands.  For  a  moment  there  was  silence.  Then  a  man  in 
the  rear  of  the  room  arose  and  said,  "Signore,  we  are  all 
Christians,  we  believe  what  you  say,  and  we  desire  to  unite 
with  this  mission."  "Glory  to  God,"  said  the  leader;  "this 
is  wonderful — forty  conversions  all  in  one  night."  But  the 
American  did  not  know  the  Italian.  He  was  not  familiar 
with  the  fact  that  all  Italians  call  themselves  Christians, 
because  they  do  not  happen  to  be  Jews  or  Chinese.  The 
worst  criminal  calls  himself  a  Christian  and  he  would  be 
offended  if  you  were  to  tell  him  he  was  not. 

The  Italian  puts  much  emphasis  on  the  refinements  and 
the  little  compliments  of  life.  An  Italian  knows  best  how 
to  meet  and  observe  these.  I  well  recall  how  excited  and 


1 88  SONS  OF  ITALY 

really  angry  a  group  of  Italians  became  when  an  American 
clergyman  gave  an  address  in  a  public  square  on  the  subject 
of  the  immigrant.  He  said,  "These  immigrants  are  a  great 
menace  to  our  American  institutions ;  they  must  be  educated ; 
we  must  teach  them  our  ideals;  they  are  ignorant  of  the 
fundamental  laws  of  citizenship  and  true  religion."  What 
he  said  was  only  too  true,  but  my  Italian  countrymen  were 
offended.  The  next  morning  a  group  that  I  had  been  try- 
ing to  inspire  with  the  ideals  of  America  and  true  religion 
met  me  and  said,  "What  was  that  babbler  talking  about  last 
night?  What  does  he  mean  by  wanting  to  educate  us?  We 
can  teach  him  things  he  does  not  know.  We  are  not*  the 
ignorant  people  he  takes  us  to  be.  He  is  ignorant ;  we  know 
more  about  America  than  he  does  about  Italy."  Some  of 
these  men  had  studied  in  Italian  universities,  but  their  lack 
of  English  and  humble  occupation  concealed  them. 

A  Model  Staff 

The  ideal  arrangement  is  to  have  a  well-trained  Italian 
pastor  for  the  work  with  adults,  an  earnest  Christian  Ameri- 
can expert  to  handle  boys'  and  young  men's  work,  an  Italian- 
speaking  woman  to  spend  her  time  visiting  and  teaching  in 
the  homes,  and  a  well-trained  Christian  American  woman 
to  work  with  the  children. 

All  workers  among  Italians  should  necessarily  understand 
and  speak  Italian,  just  as  the  workers  on  the  foreign  field 
consider  it  absolutely  necessary  to  learn  Japanese  or  Telugu. 
It  is  frequently  necessary  to  consult  the  parents  about  their 
children,  or  the  parents  may  have  problems  that  they  bring 
to  the  "teacher"  to  solve.  Would  we  wish  an  interpreter 
to  talk  for  us  to  the  teacher  of  our  child?  Many  times 
American  missionaries  have  thought  Italians  obstinate  or 
indifferent  to  their  children's  welfare,  because  they  could 
not  understand  the  reasons  for  their  refusal  to  let  them  out 
of  the  house.  All  they  could  understand  was  the  "No." 
Children  are  often  poor  interpreters ;  they  know  little  Italian 


GRACE  CHAPEL  (PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL),  NEW  YORK 

The  Italian  Choir 

Boy  Scouts 
A  Christmas  Play  by  Italians 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  189 

and   mistake   the  sense  of  a  question.     I  have  known  of 
serious  and  laughable  errors  made  by  them. 

Cooperation  in  Leadership 

The  Italian  pastor  should  be  the  recognized  leader,  even 
when  better  trained  and  more  highly  educated  Americans 
work  with  him.  Many  a  work  suffers  from  too  many  heads, 
each  independently  running  his  or  her  department  of. the 
work.  This  tends  to  friction  and  discussion.  The  people 
take  sides  with  one  worker  against  or  in  preference  to  an- 
other. It  is  very  injurious  to  the  Italian  people  to  realize 
that  there  is  any  difference  of  opinion  between  the  pastor 
and  the  American  missionary.  Such  differences  should  be 
settled  in  private  conference,  and  in  public  the  pastor  ought 
always  to  be  loyally  supported.  No  principal  of  a  school, 
no  headworker  of  a  settlement,  would  keep  a  teacher  who 
insisted  on  using  her  own  methods  when  requested  to  alter 
her  program  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  work.  The  Italians 
naturally  look  to  the  Italian  pastor,  who  understands  them, 
their  mental  background,  and  their  problems.  American 
workers  big  enough  to  give  up  their  own  preferences  cordially 
unite  in  the  pastor's  plans,  whether  it  be  an  outing,  a  choir, 
a  gymnastic  class,  or  a  class  to  teach  Italian,  and  enthusiasti- 
cally second  the  pastor's  efforts.  The  plan  may  be  just  the 
one  needed,  but  a  half-hearted  support  which  the  children 
see  is  not  sincere  would  doom  it  to  failure. 

The  steady  increase  and  stability  in  character  of  the  Italian 
congregation  of  Grace  Chapel,  New  York,  which  now  has 
1,446  persons  under  pastoral  care,  is  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that  there  has  never  been  any  discord  to  cause  factions  in 
the  church.  Says  the  young  pastor,  paying  a  high  tribute 
to  the  consecrated  Christians  who  have  worked  with  him,  "I 
have  had  the  cooperation  in  the  Sunday-school  of  as  fine  a 
body  of  American  men  and  women  as  I  could  ask  for.  I 
thank  God  for  this  brave  company,  which  has  been  willing 


19o  SONS  OF  ITALY 

to  stand  by  me,  and  to  acknowledge  the  leadership,  in  things 
Italian,  of  a  man  of  foreign  birth." 

HOME  MISSION  STRATEGY 

A  Union  Theological  Seminary 

As  we  have  already  indicated,  there  are  now  three  Italian 
departments  that  are  training  men  for  the  Italian  mission 
field.  But  aside  from  the  work  of  these  institutions,  there 
are  several  Italian  young  men  who  are  equipping  themselves 
in  colleges  and  universities  in  different  parts  of  our  country. 

The  question  has  been  raised  by  representatives  of  de- 
nominations that  have  no  regular  Italian  department, 
whether  it  would  not  be  feasible  to  have  one  well-equipped 
Italian  theological  seminary  to  train  all  men  who  are  con- 
templating service  to  Italian  people.  It  was  somewhat  sur- 
prising to  find  an  overwhelming  majority  in  favor  of  a 
union  Italian  theological  seminary.  Out  of  the  fifty  or 
more  that  I  interviewed,  only  five  expressed  themselves 
against  it,  but  their  reason  was  because  they  did  not  feel 
that  such  a  program  was  practicable. 

I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  believe  that  the  plan  is  a  work- 
able one,  especially  if  a  definite  and  clear  policy  is  decided 
upon  beforehand,  and  some  central  authority  is  recognized, 
particularly  in  the  selection  and  admission  of  students.  The 
ideal  with  reference  to  the  selection  of  men  that  would  be 
acceptable  to  all  would  be  the  most  difficult  point  to  estab- 
lish. When  this  was  once  done,  the  rest  would  be  easy 
sailing. 

There  would  be  some  decided  advantages  if  such  a  plan 
could  be  carried  out.  The  care  and  expense  of  running  the 
one  would  be  materially  less  than  the  present  maintenance 
of  the  three.  But  aside  from  the  item  of  cost  it  is  un- 
deniable that  such  a  proposed  plan  would  make  possible  a 
more  efficient  teaching  force  than  any  one  of  the  depart- 
ments can  have  at  the  present  time.  The  most  far-reaching 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  191 

effect  of  a  union  theological  seminary  would  be  the  unity  of 
point  of  view  which  the  students  of  the  various  denomina- 
tions would  have,  and,  what  to  my  mind  is  still  greater,  the 
spirit  of  cordiality  and  cooperation  which  naturally  char- 
acterizes the  men  who  live,  study,  and  work  together  for  a 
period  of  years.  The  strong  individualistic  tendencies  of 
the  Italian  are  constantly  making  themselves  felt,  especially 
in  strong  antagonism  between  the  groups  that  have  studied 
in  different  institutions  or  that  have  studied  at  none.  At 
the  present  stage,  we  cannot  lay  too  much  stress  upon  the 
spirit  of  cooperation  and  real  brotherly  feeling  among  the 
leaders  in  missionary  activity,  in  order  to  present  a  united 
front  to  the  Italian  population. 

A  Union  Italian  Protestant  Paper 

The  importance  of  the  press  in  all  sorts  of  propaganda 
cannot  be  overestimated.  The  Christian  church  knows  well 
its  power.  There  are  at  the  present  time  four  denomina- 
tional papers  printed  in  the  Italian  language:  L'Era  Nuova, 
Presbyterian;  La  Fiaccola,  Methodist;  //  Cristiano,  Bap- 
tist, and  L'Ape  Evangelico,  United  Presbyterian.  The  need 
of  these  publications  and  their  value  may  be  judged  by  the 
sacrifice  some  of  our  Italian  brethren  have  been  willing  to 
make  to  keep  them  alive. 

While  the  denominational  spirit  is  strong  among  Italians, 
it  is  a  most  interesting  fact,  that,  with  only  three  exceptions 
out  of  seventy-five  missionaries  whom  I  have  interviewed, 
all  approved  of  a  plan  to  merge  all  the  papers  into  one, 
having  a  board  of  editors  drawn  from  the  different  denomi- 
nations. This  would  have  these  advantages.  The  financial 
burden  which  now  has  to  be  carried  for  four  papers  would 
be  greatly  reduced,  and  some  are  convinced  it  could  be  made 
to  pay  expenses,  as  Protestants  would  be  able  to  present  a 
clear,  definite,  united  statement  of  Christian  truth  to  be- 
wildered Italians  who  are  used  to  one  church  wherever  they 
go.  We  should  without  question  be  able  to  produce  a  far 


1 9a  SONS  OF  ITALY 

better  paper  than  any  one  of  the  four  can  now  be.  Such  a 
paper  would  include  not  only  religious  articles,  but  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  leading  topics  of  the  day  from  a  Christian 
point  of  view,  a  real  Italian  "Outlook."  It  should  also 
include  an  English  page  for  young  people  and  children,  house- 
hold and  health  hints,  and  good  pictures. 


OBSTACLES 

Attitude  of  the  Roman  Church 

It  is  fair  to  state  that  the  bitterest  opposition  which  we 
experience  in  our  work  of  Italian  evangelization  is  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  from  its  pulpit,  through  house  to 
house  visitation,  and  by  the  printed  page.  All  sorts  of  fake 
charges  are  made  against  Protestant  workers  and  teachings. 
It  is  a  common  thing  for  Italian  priests  to  tell  the  people 
that  Protestants  do  not  believe  in  God,  that  the  Bible  they 
use  is  false,  that  they  pay  each  person  that  goes  there  a 
weekly  sum,  that  the  more  people  the  missionaries  convert 
to  their  church,  the  more  money  they  get.  We  are  looked 
upon  by  the  credulous  and  simple-minded  as  destroyers  of 
the  true  faith  and  enemies  of  God.  The  priests  constantly 
tell  the  people  that  if  they  put  foot  inside  of  a  Protestant 
church  they  will  be  excommunicated.  It  is  fortunate  for  us 
that  the  people  do  not  always  believe  everything  the  priests 
say.  They  are  more  and  more  using  their  own  minds  and 
consciences.  But  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  people 
hesitate  to  cross  the  thresholds  of  our  sanctuaries.  Here  is 
what  one  woman  said  as  she  gave  her  experience  before  the 
officers  of  the  church :  "I  was  afraid  to  come  to  your  church 
because  I  felt  that  if  I  came  in  some  terrible  punishment 
would  be  visited  upon  me  from  God.  I  passed  by  the  church 
many  times  but  did  not  dare  enter.  When  I  did  come  in 
I  ran  through  the  door  as  fast  as  I  could,  afraid  that  the 
walls  might  fall  on  my  head." 

Still   another   woman,   whose  son   had   united   with    the 


LE  CHIESE  EVANGELICHE  193 

Protestant  church,  bought  a  revolver  to  shoot  him  for  his 
diabolical  conduct.  She  went  to  the  Protestant  mission  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  killing  him.  She  sat  down  and  waited 
for  the  opportune  time.  The  service  and  sermon  attracted 
her,  however,  and  before  she  could  accomplish  her  desire  she 
had  so  entirely  changed  her  attitude  of  mind  that  she  be- 
came not  only  a  member  of  the  church  herself,  but  one  of 
the  finest  missionaries  that  could  possibly  be  found.  She 
was  seventy-five  years  old,  but  on  Sundays  she  would  visit 
a  dozen  homes,  talking  about  Jesus  and  repeating  to  her 
interested  listeners  what  she  had  heard  at  the  morning  serv- 
ice. "Why,"  she  said,  "I  thought  you  were  all  devils,  and 
that  I  should  be  pleasing  God  if  I  took  my  son's  life."  A 
young  man  who  used  to  stone  our  workers  as  they  went 
to  hold  open-air  meetings,  is  now  a  valiant  missionary,  while 
another  bright  young  fellow  who  used  to  disturb  our  open- 
air  meetings  and  contradict  the  speakers,  is  now  an  aggres- 
sive worker  for  Christ.  In  fact  many  of  our  best  workers 
were  once  our  bitterest  enemies. 

Abuse  of  Freedom  in  the  Schools 

But  we  are  facing  another  obstacle  which  is  troublesome 
and  dangerous.  Many  of  our  missionaries  report  that 
teachers  in  our  public  schools  are  using  the  influence  of 
their  position  to  discover  Italian  children  that  attend  Protes- 
tant churches  and  to  intimidate  them  by  reprimanding  them 
publicly  for  "abandoning  the  true  church."  While  such  a 
practise  is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  our  free  institutions,  since 
there  is  little  or  no  protest  against  this  infringement  of  per- 
sonal rights,  many  of  our  people  have  to  endure  this  added 
persecution.  This  is  a  matter  which  should  be  taken  up 
with  the  state  boards  of  education  through  the  responsible 
heads  of  the  various  denominations  that  are  engaged  in 
evangelizing  the  foreigner.  It  should  be  settled  once  for  all 
whether  in  free  America  people  have  the  right  to  go  to  what- 
ever church  they  choose ;  whether  public  school  teachers  may 


i94  SONS  OF  ITALY 

interfere  with  that  right  while  the  children  are  in  their 
classes;  or  whether  we  have  no  right  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
people  who  hail  from  Roman  Catholic  countries.  The  next 
logical  step,  in  the  latter  alternative,  is  to  give  up  all  of  our 
work  of  evangelization  among  immigrants  from  Europe. 
But  there  is  no  denomination,  I  am  sure,  that  is  ready  thus 
to  betray  the  cause  of  Christ.  Yet  there  is  no  one  who 
desires  to  take  up  this  unpleasant  task. 

The  fact  is  that  American  pastors  and  laymen  alike  are 
too  prone  to  avoid  everything  in  religion  which  may  prove 
troublesome  or  cause  a  disturbance.  We  must  not  forget 
that  the  progress  of  the  world  has  been  brought  about 
through  trouble  and  disturbance,  and  Jesus  well  said,  "I 
have  not  come  to  bring  peace,  but  a  sword."  He  was  killed 
because  he  was  a  trouble-maker  in  the  established  order.  We 
too  cannot  live  in  harmony  with  our  Lord  in  a  sinful  and 
greedy  world  without  being  at  odds  with  men  and  systems. 
The  school  boards  must  be  given  to  understand  that  the 
Protestant  Christian  church  will  brook  no  interference  with 
its  principle  of  separation  between  church  and  state. 


VII 


THE   ITALIAN'S   CONTRIBUTION   TO  THE 
AMERICA  OF  TO-MORROW 


Behold,  thou  shalt  call  a  nation  that  thou  knowest  not;  and 
nations  that  know  not  thee  shall  run  unto  thee,  because  of  Jehovah 
thy  God,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  for  he  hath  glorified 
thee. 

— Isaiah  lv.5. 

And  strangers  shall  stand  and  feed  your  flocks,  and  foreigners 
shall  be  your  plowmen  and  your  vinedressers.  But  ye  shall  be 
named  the  priests  of  Jehovah;  men  shall  call  you  the  ministers 
of  our  God;  ye  shall  eat  the  wealth  of  the  nations,  and  in  their 
glory  shall  ye  boast  yourselves. 

— Isaiah   lxi.5-6. 

And  if  a  stranger  sojourn  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall  not 
do  him  wrong.  The  stranger  that  sojourneth  with  you  shall  be 
unto  you  as  the  home-born  among  you,  and  thou  shalt  love  him 
as  thyself;  for  ye  were  sojourners  in  the  land  of  Egypt:  I  am 
Jehovah  your  God. 

— Leviticus  xix-33-34. 

Man  is  a  force-bearer  and  a  force-producer.  If  light  is  in  him, 
he  shines;  if  darkness,  he  shades;  if  his  heart  glows  with  love,  he 
warms;  if  frozen  with  selfishness,  he  chills;  if  corrupt,  he  poisons; 
if  pure,  he  cleanses. 

— Newell  Dwight  Hillis,  The  Investment  of  Influence. 

Where  the  mind  is  without  fear  and  the  head  is  held  high; 

Where  knowledge  is  free; 

Where  the  world  has  not  been  broken  up  into  fragments  by 
narrow  domestic  walls; 

Where  words  come  out  from  the  depths  of  truth; 

Where  tireless  striving  stretches  its  arms  toward  perfection; 

Where  the  clear  stream  of  reason  has  not  lost  its  way  into  the 
dreary  desert  sand  of  dead  habit; 

Where  the  mind  is  led  forward  by  Thee  into  ever-widening 
thought  and  action, — 

Into  that  heaven  of  freedom,  my  Father,  let  my  country  awake. 
— Rabindranath  Tagore,  Gitanjali. 


VII 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE 
AMERICA  OF  TO-MORROW 

It  takes  the  religious  mind  to  see  God  always  at  work  in 
his  world.  The  secular  historian  collects  and  classifies  the 
events  which  have  made  up  the  life  of  a  nation,  and  if  he 
be  sufficiently  profound,  he  will  show  how  one  event  grew 
out  of  preceding  events.  But  he  will  not  see  in  the  process 
of  a  nation's  life  that  mind  at  work  which  coordinates  all 
events  and  finally  through  them  carries  out  its  own  will  and 
purpose.  It  took  the  great  historians  of  Israel  to  teach  the 
world  that  history  cannot  be  written  without  taking  God 
into  account.  We  are  recognizing  more  and  more  that  this 
is  God's  world  and  that  he  is  persistently  at  work  in  the 
lives  of  individuals  and  nations  to  establish  his  kingdom 
among  men. 

When  ancient  Babylon  descended  upon  God's  chosen  peo- 
ple and  scattered  them  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  the 
religious  seer  said  that  it  was  God  who  had  called  the  enemy 
and  bidden  him  to  punish  Israel;  when  pagan  Cyrus  de- 
cided that  it  would  be  best  for  the  turbulent  Jews  to  return 
to  Palestine,  the  great  prophet  exclaimed,  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord  to  his  anointed  Cyrus,  whose  right  hand  I  have 
holden  to  subdue  nations  before  him,  ...  I  have  called 
thee  by  thy  name  though  thou  hast  not  known  me."  The 
secular  historian  shows  how  Spain  and  France  failed  in  their 
attempts  to  establish  their  civilization  and  religious  ideals  in 
the  New  World,  and  how  England  and  Holland,  through 
many  discouragements  and  losses,  finally  succeeded  because 

197 


I98  SONS  OF  ITALY 

their  colonists  were  more  persistent  and  better  sustained. 
The  religious  seer  cannot  fail  to  see  God's  hand  and  pur- 
pose in  the  failure  of  Catholic  France  and  Spain.  It  was 
the  will  of  God  that  Protestant  England  and  Holland 
should  lay  the  foundations  of  the  future  republic  of  the 
United  States  of  America. 

To  those  who  believe  that  there  is  a  cosmic  purpose  in 
the  entire  operation  of  the  universe,  and  that  that  purpose 
is  the  development  of  man  to  his  godlike  possibilities,  every 
great  event  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  been  pointing 
toward  and  contributing  to  the  establishment  of  this  mighty 
nation,  America.  While  each  nation  and  each  period  in  the 
world's  history  have  had  a  significance  of  their  own,  the 
life  of  the  world  is  a  unit,  and  in  a  real  sense  all  the  great 
movements  in  the  life  of  humanity  from  the  beginning  of 
time  have  been  a  part  of  an  ultimate  divine  purpose.  As 
Egypt,  Babylon,  Persia,  Greece,  and  Rome  clearly  prepared 
the  way  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  God,  by  unifying  the 
world  in  laws,  ideas,  government,  and  language,  so  the  in- 
vasion of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  conflict  between  the  papacy 
and  the  German  emperors,  the  rise  of  republics  in  Italy,  the 
Renaissance,  the  Reformation,  and  the  breaking  of  England 
from  the  domination  of  Rome  all  worked  together  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  American  religious  leadership  among  the 
nations,  a  leadership  secured  and  cemented  by  service.  Our 
mighty  republic  is  the  fruition  of  the  efforts  of  all  the  ages. 

THE  CHALLENGE  OF  IMMIGRATION 

The  eyes  of  the  world  are  now  upon  America.  The  ends 
of  the  earth  have  already  met  here.  Her  democratic  institu- 
tions, her  freedom  of  conscience  and  religion,  her  boundless 
opportunities  for  the  development  of  human  life,  are  ele- 
ments that  appeal  to  the  oppressed,  to  the  down-trodden,  and 
to  the  ambitious.  Why  have  these  aliens  been  coming  at  the 
rate  of  a  million  a  year?  The  superficial  answer  is,  to  get 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      19? 

a  better  living;  to  earn  more  money.  True,  this  is  the  pri- 
mary motive.  But  no  one  who  believes  in  God's  ultimate 
purpose  of  redeeming  mankind  can  maintain  that  under- 
neath this  unprecedented  migration  nothing  more  vital  is 
involved  than  mere  physical  well-being.  The  attempt  to  dis- 
cover a  short  route  to  India  gave  a  continent  to  astonished 
Europe.  The  desire  to  gain  gold  led  the  first  settlers  to 
America  but  that  prepared  the  way  for  the  Pilgrims,  who 
established  here  a  nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord.  The  better 
opportunities,  higher  wages,  and  the  chance  to  become  some- 
thing which  poverty  had  driven  them  forth  to  seek  have 
been  the  stimuli  for  millions  who  have  crossed  the  ocean; 
but  God  has  as  his  ultimate  purpose  that  they  shall  find 
individual  and  social  salvation. 

The  American  Christian  of  to-day  is  heir  to  a  great 
heritage.  Others  have  labored,  yes,  have  given  their  life's 
blood,  and  we  have  entered  into  their  labors  while  teeming 
millions  of  the  world's  population  have  been  living  in  gross 
superstition  and  ignorance.  We  have  at  our  disposal  the 
spiritual  riches  of  the  ages.  We  have  failed  to  minister  to 
them,  and  God  has  used  their  very  needs  to  push  these  peo- 
ple upon  us,  and  the  prophets  of  God  say  to  us  in  unmis- 
takable terms:  "If  these  people  had  remained  in  Russia, 
in  Poland,  in  Hungary,  in  Greece,  or  in  Italy,  God  could 
not  have  made  himself  known  unto  them  because  of  the 
hardness  of  heart  of  ecclesiastics  and  politicians.  America 
is  in  the  present  hour  the  land  of  promise  among  the  nations 
because  of  her  ability  and  opportunity  to  serve.  Here  you 
have  God's  open  word,  freedom  of  conscience,  and  religious 
liberty;  here  you  may  worship  him  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  your  own  conscience.  You  have  so  much;  your  life 
is  full  and  rich;  God  has  blessed  you.  The  very  windows 
of  heaven  have  been  opened  upon  you  and  rich  gifts  have 
been  poured  upon  you.  Now  look  about  you  upon  your 
right  hand  and  upon  your  left  and  see  how  destitute  and 
barren  is  the  life  of  many  of  these  little  ones.  Even  as 


200  SONS  OF  ITALY 

God  has  poured  out  himself  in  giving  to  the  world  his  only 
begotten  Son,  so  shall  not  you  pour  some  of  your  life  into 
these  needy  lives  and  enable  them  to  feel  that  sense  of  unity 
which  you  have  in  God?  'He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my 
sake  shall  find  it.'  Show  your  appreciation  and  gratitude 
for  what  you  have  received  by  ministering  to  these,  God's 
needy  children." 

Can  men  and  women  who  profess  to  be  followers  of  the 
Christ  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  this  urgent  call  of  God  to  assist 
him  in  his  work  of  redeeming  the  world?  What  will  be 
the  consequences  if  we  do  not  cooperate  with  God  ?  God's 
word  speaks  for  us.  We  shall  lose  our  place  of  primacy 
and  some  other  nation  will  take  the  honor  from  us.  God 
cannot^  fail  in  his  purpose  even  if  we  prove  faithless,  but 
we  shall  be  stripped  of  the  glory  of  service  and  we  shall 
be  as  strangers  in  our  own  land. 

See  what  is  happening  in  Greater  New  York.  In  the 
midst  of  a  population  of  5,600,000  people  there  are  not  over 
300,000  members  of  Protestant  Christian  churches.  There 
are  vast  sections  throughout  the  entire  city  where  Protestant 
churches  are  being  completely  driven  out.  In  one  small 
district  in  Brooklyn  during  the  past  twelve  years  one  church 
a  year  has  been  pushed  to  the  wall.  It  is  true  that  syna- 
gogs  and  Roman  churches  are  increasing,  but  can  the 
Protestant  church  afford  to  desert  these  districts  without 
leaving  a  witness  to  what  we  believe  to  be  the  principles  of 
vital  Christianity? 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  state  that,  wherever  the 
Protestant  church  goes  out,  the  moral  tone,  both  social  and 
political,  is  greatly  lowered.  And  yet,  wherever  the  for- 
eigner moves  in,  the  Protestant  church  moves  out.  What 
legitimate  hope  may  we  have  that  the  newcomers  will  be- 
come good  citizens,  men  and  women  in  whose  hands  the 
future  of  our  city  and  nation  will  be  safe?  What  are  the 
forces  at  work,  molding  the  life  of  the  foreigner  and  that 
of  his  children?  It  surely  is  not  the  Christian  church  with 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA     201 

all  its  inspiring  influences  and  holy  associations.  On  the 
contrary,  it  is  the  saloon,  the  dance  hall,  the  moving  picture 
theater,  and  the  common  street  life.  No  wonder  our  houses 
of  correction,  reformatories,  and  prisons  are  full  of  young 
criminals,  the  offspring  of  our  foreign  population. 

What  have  we  done  and  what  are  we  doing  to  change 
matters?  The  public  school  alone  cannot  work  miracles. 
Ninety  per  cent,  of  the  boys  and  girls  of  foreign  parentage 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  go  to  work  in  factories,  in  sweat- 
shops, and  in  offices,  to  assist  in  the  maintenance  of  the 
family.  It  is  then  that  they  need  a  friendly  hand  stretched 
out  to  help  them.  For  when  they  leave  school  they  break 
away  from  parental  control.  They  are  now  grown-up,  they 
can  earn  their  own  living,  and  they  know  far  more  about 
life  than  their  fathers  and  especially  than  their  mothers. 
They  are  seized  with  the  desire  for  complete  freedom,  a  free- 
dom for  which  they  are  by  no  means  prepared,  and  which 
opens  the  way  in  so  many  cases  to  destruction. 

At  this  stage  of  their  life,  there  is  only  one  force  that  can 
be  effective,  the  force  of  a  strong,  wise,  and  loving  Christian 
personality.  They  need  some  one  to  love  them  whom  they 
can  respect.  How  poorly  we  are  equipped  to  meet,  lead, 
and  develop  the  youth  of  the  foreign-born !  Christians  must 
enlarge  their  interests,  become  greater  fathers  and  greater 
mothers  to  these  youths.  We  see  to  it  that  the  criminal 
is  arrested  and  prosecuted,  but  how  little  we  do  to  prevent 
the  young  from  falling  into  crime!  Here  is  a  God-given 
task  for  the  Christian  church.  She  only  can  do  it,  for  she 
is  animated  by  the  love  of  Christ.  Oh,  the  boundless  oppor- 
tunity for  service!  To  mold  and  enrich  some  one  life  so 
that  it  shall  become  a  power  to  affect  other  lives  is  within 
the  reach  of  thousands  of  Christians.  Such  a  service  would 
be  not  only  the  creation  of  a  new  life,  but  it  would  be  set- 
ting righteous  forces  in  motion  which  would  affect  not  only 
our  nation,  but  the  world  as  well.  "In  thy  seed  shall  all 


202  SONS  OF  ITALY 

the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed  because  thou  hast  obeyed 
my  voice." 

RECENT  AND  PAST  IMMIGRATION 

History  is  ever  repeating  itself.  Throughout  the  centuries 
there  has  always  been  discrimination  against  the  foreigner. 
Whether  he  comes  as  a  conqueror  or  a  peaceful  settler,  he 
never  has  quite  the  same  prestige  as  the  native  element. 
"When  the  barbarian  hordes  broke  into  the  Roman  Empire 
and  destroyed  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  imperial  Rome, 
they  were  cordially  hated  and  despised  by  the  natives.  But 
as  the  historian  of  to-day  chronicles  that  mighty  migration 
and  has  under  his  eyes  all  that  proceeded  from  it,  he  calls 
the  infusion  of  new  blood  into  the  effete  and  corrupt  life 
of  the  Roman  a  blessing.  When  the  Norman  conquered 
England  there  was  discrimination  against  the  strangers 
for  two  centuries.  But  as  the  historian  of  to-day  de- 
scribes that  great  event  and  recalls  the  splendor  and  the 
glory  of  the  sixteenth  century,  he  says  the  Normans  brought 
to  England  what  she  needed  to  make  her  intellectual  life 
richer.  When  the  Germans  and  the  Irish  were  pouring  into 
America  during  the  period  between  1820  and  1850,  people 
raised  their  voices  against  the  worthless  foreigner.  As  far 
back  as  1833,  such  opinions  as  these  were  expressed: 

"Such  as  the  Irishman  is  on  his  native  shores,  such  is  he 
found  to  be  when  landed  on  the  quays  of  New  York,  Boston, 
or  Philadelphia.  There  is  no  charm  in  the  middle  passage 
to  remove  from  his  character  the  impress  of  recklessness 
and  ignorance.  The  three  pounds  which  bring  him  to 
America  buy  him  no  more  exemption  from  the  inevitable 
consequences  of  his  own  want  of  industry  and  subordina- 
tion, than  the  sixpence  which  lands  him  on  the  wharves  of 
Liverpool  or  Glasgow.  Nor  is  it  the  Irishman  alone,  al- 
though constituting  much  the  larger  portion  of  the  class, 
of  whom  the  same  disinclination  to  labor  and  incapacity  to 
avail  himself  of  the  advantages  of  a  free  and  unexhausted 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      203 


Foreign-born  population  of  the 

United  States  from  ten  leading  countries 
of  origin d9io)"by  decades, 


204  SONS  OF  ITALY 

country  may  be  predicated.  There  are  hundreds  of  refugees 
annually  entering  the  United  States,  whom  the  same  political 
influences  which  operate  in  the  case  of  Ireland  have  reduced 
to  the  same  state  of  disqualification  for  every  pursuit  of 
laborious  and  persevering  industry. 

"If  our  social  character  be  liable  to  be  infected  by  the 
vices  and  misery  of  older  countries,  from  a  too  rapid  absorp- 
tion of  their  redundant  population;  if  our  political  institu- 
tions be  exposed  to  overthrow  and  corruption  by  the  undue 
accession  of  unassimilating  elements,  how  can  it  be  other 
than  wise  and  humane  to  guard  against  a  state  of  things 
which  must  prove  ultimately  so  unfriendly  to  the  best  and 
perhaps  last  hope  of  the  human  family?  America  is  indeed 
a  sanctuary  from  which  none  can  be  rightfully  excluded 
whose  presence  does  not  endanger  its  permanence."  1 

As  the  historian  looks  back  over  the  short  period  of 
seventy-five  years  and  sees  what  change  has  come  about  in 
the  descendants  of  those  foreigners,  he  says  of  that  early 
immigration  that  it  was  homogeneous  and  easily  assimilated, 
and  that,  for  the  most  part,  these  races  have  produced  as 
desirable  citizens  as  the  early  settlers. 

Now  that  we  are  seeing  an  inundation  of  other  races  upon 
American  soil,  we  cannot  see  the  possible  results  except 
through  an  intelligent  faith,  and  people  are  saying  precisely 
the  same  things  about  these  folk  that  have  always  been  said 
about  the  intruding  foreigner.  We  are  exceedingly  short- 
sighted. History  should  teach  us  vision.  As  it  has  been 
with  past  migrations,  so  we  may  expect  it  to  be  with  the 
present,  especially  so  with  the  Italian.  The  historian  of 
five  hundred  years  hence  who  will  have  the  effects  of  this 
migration  under  his  eyes  will  without  a  doubt  give  recogni- 
tion to  the  valuable  contributions  of  the  Italian  immigrant 
to  American  life. 

Some  one  has  recently  said  that  in  twenty-five  years  New 
York  City  will  be  Italianized,  for  these  people  are  making 

1  Henry  Duhring  Landar,  North  American  Review,  1833. 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      205 

a  place  for  themselves  in  every  line  of  human  endeavor. 
Because  of  their  industry  and  ambition  they  are  destined 
to  become  a  great  factor  in  our  social,  political,  and  indus- 
trial life.  They  are  possessed  of  some  noble  qualities,  and 
their  natural  good  manners,  inbred  politeness,  and  brilliancy 
open  many  doors  of  advancement  to  them.  The  one  thing 
they  are  most  in  need  of  is  the  highly  moral  and  spiritual 
ideal.  In  view  of  what  the  Italian  convert  has  already  done, 
we  are  justified  in  believing  that,  by  his  coming  into  the 
Protestant  church  with  a  life-giving  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
he  will  be  able  to  make  a  great  contribution  to  our  religious 
life. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  ITALIANS 

The  present  religious  state  of  the  Italians  is  not  normal. 
There  was  a  time  when  St.  Paul  could  say  of  the  Roman 
Christians  that  their  faith  was  spoken  of  by  all  the  world. 
Later  it  was  the  Italian  Christian  who  sealed  the  vow  of 
his  faith  by  his  very  life's  blood.  The  world  is  indeed  a 
debtor  to  Italy.  Had  it  not  been  for  devoted  Italian  Chris- 
tians, the  religion  of  Jesus  might  not  have  dominated  Eu- 
rope. It  must  be  remembered  that  when  northern  Europe 
was  steeped  in  superstition  and  barbarism  and  when  her 
people  were  living  in  caves  and  huts,  clad  in  animal  skins 
and  offering  their  children  in  sacrifice  to  their  heathen  gods, 
the  Italians  were  defending  the  vital  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity with  their  lives,  and  it  was  the  missionaries  from 
Italy  who  carried  the  gospel  to  the  peoples  of  the  continent. 
A  thousand  years  later  while  civilization  was  smothered  by 
the  dark  ages,  and  ignorance  and  ecclesiastic  tyranny  held 
the  minds  of  the  masses  in  subjection,  the  Renaissance  broke 
out  in  all  its  splendor  in  Florence,  and  Italy  against  became 
the  teacher  of  humanity. 


206  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Revival  of  the  Fundamentals  of  Protestantism 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  the  converted  Italian 
is  destined  to  make  his  contribution  to  a  more  vigorous 
Protestantism.  While  conferences  are  held  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  problem  of  Christian  unity,  the  Italian 
who  knows  the  Roman  Church  from  within  puts  no  confi- 
dence in  the  hope  that  Rome  and  Protestantism  may  some 
day  be  brought  even  to  cooperation.  It  is  a  time  in  our 
national  life  when  religious  convictions  are  lightly  held,  by 
many  not  clearly  defined.  Italians  who  study  the  New 
Testament  form  sturdy  convictions  and  high  ideals  of  the 
Christian  life  and  vehemently  protest  against  any  compro- 
mise. No  one  can  know  as  does  the  Italian  the  practise 
of  the  Roman  Church  in  saying  one  thing  for  the  intelli- 
gent American  public  and  quite  another  to  the  faithful. 
A  case  in  point:  the  recent  conference  on  Christian  unity 
held  at  Garden  City,  Long  Island,  invited  representatives 
of  the  Roman  Church  to  take  part  in  the  deliberations.  The 
cardinal  was  too  tactful  to  refuse  the  invitation,  but  there 
proved  to  be  excellent  reasons  why  he  could  send  no  dele- 
gates. The  pope,  however,  sent  a  special  letter  breathing  a 
fine  spirit  of  brotherly  love  and  expressing  the  hope  that 
some  day  all  Christians  would  be  in  one  fold.  This  created 
a  great  sensation.  It  happened  that  a  little  later  the  Italian 
papers  from  Italy  brought  news  of  a  papal  encyclical  issued 
in  Rome  at  the  same  time,  denouncing  all  Protestants  and 
their  work  in  scathing  language.  Among  other  things  I 
recall,  Protestants  were  called  "wolves,  thieves,  robbers  who 
try  to  steal  men's  souls  and  rob  them  of  salvation,  men 
so  utterly  bad  and  dangerous  that  the  faithful  should  shun 
them."  The  pontiff  said  they  had  no  business  in  Rome  and 
ought  to  get  out.  This  was  for  the  Italian  public  only ;  but 
it  should  be  as  widely  known  as  the  Garden  City  letter,  and 
the  two  should  be  read  together. 

Even  the  Sunday-school  boys  and  girls  are  able  to  answer 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA     207 

for  the  faith  that  is  in  them  when  reproached  by  priests, 
nuns,  or  public  school-teachers.  It  takes  much  courage  and 
strong  conviction  to  join  a  Protestant  church,  for  alienation 
from  friends  and  relatives  may  follow,  and  some  may  lose 
their  positions.  One  family  I  know  had  to  move  in  mid- 
winter on  two  days'  notice  on  account  of  pressure  by  preju- 
diced landlords.  Children  are  sometimes  discriminated 
against  or  publicly  censured  by  their  school-teachers,  insulted 
and  even  stoned  on  the  streets.  Our  Italian  converts  make 
little  apology  for  their  Protestant  affiliation.  "lo  sono  Evan- 
gelico"  is  pronounced  with  a  sense  of  pride,  because  already 
the  Italian  people  admit  that  the  evangelicals  are  a  sober, 
law-abiding,  intelligent  element  in  the  population,  and  their 
children  generally  turn  out  "good."  Some  earnest  Catholic 
parents  who  would  not  dare  to  leave  the  Catholic  Church 
for  fear  of  losing  their  immortal  souls  send  their  children 
to  sewing-school,  story-hour,  picnics,  even  to  Sunday- 
school,  hoping  it  will  make  them  "good."  Already  a  higher 
standard  of  morals  is  expected  of  Protestants  in  every  Italian 
community.  Catholics  who  think  nothing  of  drinking  in  a 
saloon  or  gambling,  would  be  surprised  but  also  overjoyed 
to  see  an  evangelical  walk  into  a  barroom  or  sit  down  to 
a  game  of  cards,  because  the  story  would  reflect  discredit 
upon  the  Protestant  church.  The  evangelicals  are  known  to 
shun  such  things. 

The  spirit  of  democracy  and  the  recognition  of  the  worth 
of  the  individual  appeal  to  the  highly  individualistic,  liberty- 
loving  Italian,  who  becomes  a  more  zealous  champion  of  his 
new-won  rights  than  the  easy-going  native  American.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  one  of  our  Italian  ministers'  associations, 
a  member  read  a  paper  on  the  political  aggression  and 
aspirations  of  the  Roman  Church  in  America.  These  men 
see  these  things  more  clearly  than  Americans,  because  they 
have  become  familiar  with  similar  intrigue  in  Italy.  The 
following  day  one  of  the  local  papers,  which  is  strongly 
Catholic,  came  out  with  the  following  headline:  "Catholic 


208  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Church  praised  by  speakers  at  Italian  ministers'  convention. 
Reader  of  paper  says  Catholic  Church  seeks  to  control  poli- 
tics in  order  to  spiritualize  them."  As  soon  as  the  paper  fell 
into  the  hands  of  our  Italian  brethren  they  instituted  an 
indignation  meeting  and  a  committee  of  five  was  immediately 
sent  to  the  editor,  with  the  result  that  the  error  was  ad- 
mitted and  corrected  in  the  next  day's  issue. 

Freedom  of  Religion 

Former  Prime  Minister  Luzzatti  speaks  of  freedom  of 
religion  and  points  to  America  as  the  finest  example  of  what 
such  freedom  will  do  for  a  nation.  Says  he,  "Freedom  of 
life  is  dependent  upon  freedom  of  religion.  There  may  be 
freedom  in  politics,  in  society,  in  everything,  but  if  religion 
is  not  free,  all  freedom  will  soon  be  lost;  but  given  freedom 
of  religion,  it  will  in  time  bring  freedom  in  all  other  phases 
of  life."  *  Converted  Italians  can  be  depended  upon  to 
vigorously  defend  freedom  of  conscience  and  separation  of 
church  and  state,  for  they  realize  what  it  means  more  than 
the  American  who  has  inherited  it  from  past  generations. 

Sense  of  Reality  of  Religion 

An  Italian,  when  he  is  led  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  has  had  his  reason  satisfied  as  well  as  his  spiritual 
cravings,  brings  with  him  into  the  Protestant  church  a  deep 
sense  of  the  reality  of  religion.  He  has  passed  through  a 
profound  experience  which  changes  his  entire  life  and  gives 
him  a  high  ideal  of  conduct.  There  is  an  element  of  Puri- 
tanism in  deeply  converted  Italians,  and  they  are  frequently 
shocked  and  embittered  by  the  action  of  American  Chris- 
tians who,  born  and  brought  up  in  the  faith,  fail  to  meet 
the  expectations  of  the  Italians. 

We  have  known  girls  fine  enough  to  refuse  repeatedly  at- 
tractive offers  of  marriage  because  the  men  were  Catholics, 
and  the  girls  would  not  give  up  their  faith  even  to  marry. 

1  Luigi  Luzzatti,  The  Liberty  of  Conscience  and  Science. 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      209 

This  shows  very  courageous  loyalty  to  Christ,  for  among 
Italians  marriage  is  considered  the  only  aim  in  life  for  a 
woman. 

Open  acknowledgment  of  conversion  to  Jesus  Christ  is 
a  serious  step  to  the  Italian.  He  knows  he  will  meet  opposi- 
sion  from  kinsfolk  and  friends  and  neighbors.  Scorn  and 
ridicule,  to  which  an  Italian  is  keenly  sensitive,  are  heaped 
upon  him.  Only  the  bravest  and  most  truly  convinced  dare 
undertake  it.  Modesto,  a  youth  as  modest  and  unassuming 
as  his  name,  but  full  of  a  quiet  strength,  dropped  into  a 
Sunday-school.  He  had  served  as  altar  boy  in  the  Roman 
Church  for  some  years.  His  father  beat  his  son  for  dis- 
gracing him  by  attending  the  Protestant  church.  The  boy 
said,  "You  may  kill  me,  but  I  am  going  there,  because  I 
like  what  they  teach."  In  June  of  this  year  he  graduates 
from  Northfield  and  will  enter  Colgate  University  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  the  ministry  among  his  own  people.  A 
group  of  twenty  Italian  young  people  was  asked  to  sing 
with  a  number  of  American  young  people.  The  Italians 
accepted  joyfully  and  went  with  eager  hearts,  expecting  a 
warm  Christian  welcome.  Instead,  the  Americans  stood  to 
one  side,  stared,  and  greeted  them  with,  "Here  come  the 
wops;  will  you  look  at  those  guineas?"  One  funny  youth 
tried  to  flirt  with  a  very  pretty  Italian  girl,  an  outrageous 
insult  according  to  Italian  ethics,  and  was  promptly  shown 
his  mistake  by  an  indignant  young  Italian  escort.  The  young 
Americans  were  not  intentionally  rude  or  cruel,  only 
thoughtless,  but  the  disastrous  effect  on  the  Italians  will  not 
be  easily  counteracted.  Said  one,  "We  hear  wop  and  guinea 
on  the  streets  every  day,  and  don't  care,  but  we  didn't  expect 
to  have  Christians  call  us  such  names."  The  clannishness 
is  not  all  on  one  side. 

Religion  the  Most  Important  Thing  in  Life 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  in  the  early  days  of  New  Eng- 
land, religion  was  a  common  topic  of  conversation,  and  at 


zio  SONS  OF  ITALY 

an  evening  gathering  of  friends  the  Bible  would  be  brought 
out  and  certain  passages  discussed.  There  is  a  similar  condi- 
tion among  Italians  to-day.  Religion  is  a  subject  of  absorb- 
ing interest.  In  a  group  of  men  I  have  known  for  several 
years,  after  the  greetings  and  preliminary  chat  about  condi- 
tions of  work  or  politics,  the  talk  invariably  turns  to  religion ; 
one  or  another  will  pull  out  of  his  pocket  a  New  Testament 
and  ask  to  have  some  passage  explained.  There  is  great 
eagerness  to  learn  spiritual  truth.  Many  commit  several 
chapters  to  memory  or  read  the  Bible  so  continually  that 
they  can  quote  verses  from  any  book  you  might  mention. 
Many  a  humble  Italian  home  observes  family  worship  when 
the  father  comes  home  from  work. 

The  vast  majority  of  Italians  have  broken  with  their 
ancestral  church,  not  because  they  are  irreligious,  but  because 
the  church  could  not  satisfy  their  religious  cravings.  They 
find,  outside  her  walls,  more  democratic  ideas  and  higher 
ideals  of  brotherly  love,  cooperation,  and  mutual  assistance 
in  socialism  or  even  anarchism.  A  very  gifted  young  Ital- 
ian was  recently  converted.  He  had  been  a  sincere  atheist. 
His  cousin  is  a  Protestant,  and  the  two  had  held  many  an 
argument.  Because  he  liked  his  cousin's  ideals  and  habits 
of  life,  the  atheist  finally  attended  a  church  service.  He 
had  some  difficulty  with  the  Bible  at  first,  for  in  discarding 
saints'  tales  and  the  miracles  performed  by  images  and 
wonder-working  relics,  the  freethinkers  also  throw  over  the 
Bible  stories  as  superstitions.  Slowly,  step  by  step,  he  came 
to  see  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Word  made  flesh,  who  dwelt 
among  men  to  make  known  the  will  of  the  Father.  He 
now  spends  his  leisure  time  writing  poems  about  Christ  and 
his  mission  on  earth.  He  said  recently  to  a  friend,  "I  always 
felt  there  must  be  something  like  this,  but  I  could  never 
find  it." 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      211 

Missionary  Fervor 

The  converted  Italian  becomes  a  zealous  missionary  as 
soon  as  he  comes  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  eager 
to  share  his  joy,  to  tell  his  fellows  that  he  has  found  the 
true  light  of  the  world. 

A  young  Neapolitan  who  had  commenced  to  drift  into 
bad  habits  was  met  on  the  street  by  a  pastor's  wife  who 
kindly  invited  him  into  a  near-by  mission.  He  went,  became 
interested,  and  soon  afterward  was  converted.  He  spread 
the  good  news  among  as  many  as  possible  of  his  companions 
in  the  factory  and  then  stopped  work  and,  with  his  pockets 
full  of  New  Testaments,  made  a  tour  of  towns  and  villages 
where  he  heard  there  were  groups  of  Italians.  In  one  vil- 
lage, with  the  help  of  another  Italian,  he  established  a 
Sunday-school,  and  these  young  men  carried  it  on  at  their 
own  expense,  until  there  were  one  hundred  children  enrolled, 
and  an  American  church  undertook  the  support.  In  New 
Jersey  there  is  a  group  of  Italian  church-members  so  in 
earnest  about  the  conversion  of  others,  that  they  willingly 
give  up  every  Sunday  afternoon  to  accompany  their  pastor 
to  another  town,  each  paying  the  seventy-five  cent  fare  out 
of  his  own  pocket. 

A  young  Calabrian  who  had  lived  a  shockingly  immoral 
life  gave  this  testimony  before  a  tentful  of  his  neighbors: 
"You  all  know  me  and  the  tough  life  I  lived.  I  drank, 
swore,  stole,  gambled,  stabbed  my  father-in-law,  and  lied 
out  of  it  so  my  brother  had  to  serve  a  term  in  prison  for 
me,  but  I  went  regularly  to  mass  and  confession.  I  was 
so  bad  I  was  afraid  not  to.  But  since  coming  here,  I  have 
felt  I  must  change  my  way  of  living,  and  with  God's  help, 
I  will."  Only  those  who  worked  and  prayed  with  him 
know  the  fierce  battle  he  had  with  himself  and  his  family, 
but  peace  and  victory  came  at  last.  In  two  years  he  became 
an  officer  of  his  church  and  had  acquired  a  library  of  sev- 
eral devotional  books,  three  copies  of  the  Bible,  a  set  of  the 


2I2  SONS  OF  ITALY 

Encyclopedia  Britannica,  and  the  complete  works  of  Shake- 
speare. In  two  different  towns  where  his  work  has  called 
him,  he  has  started  missions  for  his  countrymen,  gathering 
fifty  in  a  short  time  in  Chappaqua,  New  York.  At  times 
he  would  quit  work  for  a  day,  come  to  New  York,  purchase 
a  satchelful  of  tracts  and  Bibles,  and  return  to  distribute 
them.  In  another  place,  with  his  wife's  help  and  in  his  own 
house,  he  started  a  mission  which  later  called  a  pastor. 

And  these  are  the  people  that  are  looked  upon  as  un- 
desirable, irreligious,  a  menace.  In  their  present  state,  yes, 
but  what  they  need  is  a  touch  of  the  divine  personality  of 
Jesus  Christ  mediated  through  some  devoted  Christian  ser- 
vant. Grant  them  this,  and  I  will  show  you  a  miracle — lives 
transformed  and  ready  to  absorb  the  best  America  has  to 
offer.  If  Christian  America  wants  good  citizens,  let  her 
convert  the  Italian  and  all  other  aliens  to  Christ. 

THE  ENRICHMENT  OF  EMOTIONAL  LIFE 

None  can  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  deep  feeling  and 
emotion  which  characterizes  the  Italian  people,  and  Italy's 
history  has  proved  that  this  feeling  and  emotion  can  be  sus- 
tained. Rarely  does  one  see  a  gross  and  animalistic  Italian. 
Pity,  sorrow,  affection,  spontaneous  kindness  are  inherent  in 
the  people  of  Italy.  Their  fusion  into  the  amalgam  of 
America  will  mean  an  enrichment  of  our  emotional  life. 
There  is  great  danger  that  America  will  become  too  matter- 
of-fact,  that  she  will  look  upon  all  questions  from  the  schol- 
ar's point  of  view.  We  easily  assume  the  attitude  of  com- 
placency in  the  face  of  problems  that  involve  the  stability 
of  our  national  ideals  and  the  welfare  of  humanity.  America 
is  losing  her  ability  to  feel  deeply.  The  national  tendency 
to-day  is  to  be  moved  only  by  what  affects  one  personally. 
"Safety  first  for  me  and  mine"  is  the  dominant  spirit.  We 
need  a  tonic,  something  within  us  which  will  stir  us  to  our 
depths  and  make  us  feel  so  strongly  that  we  must  act. 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      213 

The  emotionalism  of  the  Italian,  which  some  phlegmatic 
and  coldly  calculating  souls  condemn,  may  become  a  redeem- 
ing quality.  "We  do  not  live  by  the  dials  on  a  clock,  we 
live  by  heart-throbs.  He  lives  most  who  thinks  most,  feels 
the  noblest,  acts  the  best."  Emotionalism  without  control 
may  lead  to  extravagance,  but  the  soul  lives.  Perfect  control 
without  emotion  leads  to  stolidity  and  materialism,  and  the 
soul  shrinks.  Our  country  is  to-day  controlled  by  the  great 
financiers,  who  have  little  feeling  and  no  prophetic  vision. 
It  is  unfortunately  not  the  idealists  nor  the  spiritual  seers 
who  formulate  our  national  program.  Politically  speaking, 
the  end  of  our  national  life  is  not  a  spiritual  ideal,  it  is  a 
competent  bank  account  and  a  full  dinner-pail.  There  is 
lacking  the  outburst  of  spontaneous  feeling.  Not  all  modern 
Americans  would  say  with  Patrick  Henry,  "Give  me  liberty 
or  give  me  death!" 

The  Esthetic  Contribution 

The  Italians'  rich  emotional  nature  finds  outlet  in  the 
arts.  "The  Italian  is  a  creative,  not  an  imitative  genius," 
hence  the  scores  of  young  artists,  composers,  musicians,  sing- 
ers, sculptors,  designers,  poets,  and  inventors  in  Italy,  who 
are  also  appearing  in  America  as  the  second  generation 
acquires  education.  Says  Emil  Reich,  "There  is  no  other 
nation  in  Europe  so  gifted  as  Italy."  The  resources  of  the 
race  are  only  tapped  here  and  there  in  America  as  some 
youth,  through  such  splendid  philanthropies  as  the  Music 
School  Settlement  of  New  York,  or  through  the  interest  of 
some  wealthy  person,  secures  the  necessary  training. 

We  have  mentioned  two  or  three  such,  but  where  one 
secures  training,  dozens  go  untaught.  Here  is  a  youth  who 
plays  everything  he  hears,  opera  and  all,  and  composes  well, 
but  he  has  never  had  a  piano  lesson;  another  can  carry  an 
entire  piece  of  music  in  his  mind,  symphony  or  opera,  and 
will  hum  it  through,  indicating  the  themes  and  the  parts, 
even  imitating  sounds  of  the  various  instruments  in  the 


2i4  SONS  OF  ITALY 

orchestra.  Another  youth,  who  has  possibly  worked  in  thirty 
different  places  during  the  last  six  years,  can  draw  anything 
he  sees  with  excellent  perspective,  proportion,  and  fidelity 
of  line.  He  has  never  had  time  to  study,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  school  and  go  to  work  at  fourteen.  Here 
are  two  girls  who  draw,  one  flowers  and  the  other  figures; 
here  is  a  lad  who  does  water-colors  and  even  portraits  in 
oil  in  leisure  moments,  and  another  who  designs  and  makes 
furniture  for  his  own  home.  I  know  personally  of  at  least 
half  a  dozen  voices  that  would  bring  fame  and  fortune  to 
their  possessors,  if  they  could  secure  money  to  study.  I 
know  scores  of  young  poets  who  write  well,  if  not  bril- 
liantly. Nearly  all  Italians  commit  to  memory  an  enormous 
amount  of  poetry.  They  like  to  write  and  they  love  to  act. 
The  Italian  is  at  home  on  the  stage,  whether  as  a  platform 
speaker  or  in  the  drama.  His  enthusiasm,  his  emotional 
capacity,  and  his  freedom  from  self-consciousness  make  him 
live  in  his  part.  With  all  of  these  the  daily  struggle  for 
existence  since  an  early  age  has  been  too  keen  to  give  any 
chance  for  study.  As  the  Italians  become  better  educated 
and  more  prosperous,  we  may  confidently  expect  an  increas- 
ing outflow  of  these  dormant  qualities  into  the  stream  of 
our  national  life,  which  is  itself  so  deficient  in  them. 

The  Italian  s  Idealism 

In  literature,  art,  politics,  and  religion,  the  Italian  has 
always  been  an  idealist.  The  most  common  expressions  in 
Italian  literature  are  "Fideale"  and  "la  poesia  della  vita," 
"the  ideal"  and  "the  poetry  of  life."  Marion  Crawford 
well  says  in  one  of  his  books,  "Italy  has,  since  Roman  times, 
never  been  a  great  nation  because  of  her  enemies  who  kept 
her  torn  asunder,  but  she  has  always  been  a  nation  of  great 
men." 

They  were  great  because  of  their  idealism.  Life  itself 
was  gladly  given  for  the  attainment  of  the  desired  end.  It 
was  this  which  made  her  thrice  the  illuminating  teacher  of 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      215 

Europe.  Dante,  Michelangelo,  and  Galileo  not  only  gave 
splendor  to  the  Italian  name  but  became  the  source  of  in- 
spiration for  all  of  Europe.  These  men  were  free  and 
mighty  spirits,  who  lived  for  the  attainment  of  their  ideals 
in  their  respective  lives. 

It  was  the  self-same  idealism  which  led  Daniel  Manin, 
the  great  Venetian  patriot,  to  risk  his  life  with  that  of  his 
followers  in  the  attempt  to  rid  his  native  land  of  the  Aus- 
trian yoke.  The  modern  heroes  of  united  Italy  were  no 
mercenaries.  They  staked  all,  even  to  their  very  lives,  for 
the  liberation  of  their  beloved  country.  It  is  the  same  ideal- 
ism which  has  led  king  and  people  to  throw  themselves  into 
the  task  of  redeeming  Trieste  and  Trent. 

To  the  outside  world  it  has  appeared  that  Italy's  motive 
for  her  entrance  into  the  Great  War  was  pure  greed  of  terri- 
tory, but  such  is  not  the  case.  Deserted  by  her  pretended 
friend,  Germany,  Italy  was  forced  to  yield  Trieste  to  Austria 
in  1813,  but  she  has  never  lost  sight  of  the  ideal  proclaimed 
by  Prof.  Mancuri,  that  the  principle  of  nationality  lives 
in  the  "right  that  each  people  bound  together  by  blood,  lan- 
guage, and  territory  have  to  dispose  of  their  own  destiny." 
The  inhabitants  of  Trent  and  Trieste,  torn  from  the  mother 
country,  tried  to  keep  up  Italian  language  and  feeling  by 
a  "Pro  Patria  Society."  It  was  crushed.  The  Italian 
language  was  forbidden  and  Italian  newspapers  suppressed. 
Italy  has  always  dreamed  of  uniting  these  lost  provinces 
as  France  has  of  Alsace-Lorraine.  Italy  has  not  been  blind 
to  the  dangers  of  the  Triple  Alliance  forced  on  her  by  Bis- 
marck. In  1912,  Mr.  Charles  Lapworth,  who  spent  some 
time  in  Italy,  wrote,  "The  question  now  is,  what  will  happen 
to  the  Triple  Alliance?  Germany  is  alarmed  and  longs  for 
a  Bismarck  who  bullied  her  (Italy)  when  a  weakling  with 
no  army  or  navy.  France  is  now  a  tried  friend  of  Italy. 
Germaay  can  browbeat  no  longer.  Italy  is  a  strong,  vic- 
torious, young  nation  in  a  position  to  pick  and  choose." 

Charles  Lapworth,  Tripoli  and  Young  Italy. 


2l6 


SONS  OF  ITALY 


1 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      217 

Before  1914,  Austria  had  strengthened  her  military  hold 
in  Italy's  unredeemed  provinces,  and  the  Austro-Italian  fron- 
tier was  on  practically  a  war  footing  while  the  Franco- 
Italian  border  was  neglected.  Austria  nearly  stabbed  Italy 
in  the  back  during  the  war  with  Tripoli,  but  Italian  generals 
had  the  foresight  to  have  a  large  army  on  the  northern 
frontier  before  they  sailed  for  Africa.  This  Tripolitan  war 
was  forced  on  Italy.  Her  natives  were  imprisoned,  perse- 
cuted, and  murdered  in  Tripoli,  and  her  business  men 
deliberately  hindered  in  their  legitimate  enterprises.  Under 
German  influence  the  Turk  ignored  her  claims  for  redress, 
and  German  steamers  were  bidding  for  North  African  trade 
while  all  Europe  had  acknowledged  Italy's  "sphere  of  in- 
fluence" in  Tripoli  because  of  her  large  colonies  there.  Then 
when  Italy  declared  war  on  Turkey,  and,  led  by  the  Duke 
of  Abruzzi,  her  dreadnoughts  started  for  Constantinople, 
Germany,  her  supposed  ally,  forbade  her  to  send  her  war- 
ships through  the  Dardanelles,  and  demanded  that  she  con- 
fine the  war  to  Africa.  "The  big  thing  threatening  Italy," 
Mr.  Lap  worth  concludes,  "is  not  only  the'  loss  of  Trent, 
but  the  pan-German  movement  of  Balkan  mastication." 
These  facts  should  be  known  in  order  to  free  Italy  from  the 
unfounded  charge  of  treachery  in  the  present  war.  It  is 
for  the  ideal  of  national  unity,  and  because  she  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  democratic  ideals  of  France  and  England, 
that  Italy  is  in  the  war.  This  same  idealism  and  devotion 
to  something  bigger  than  the  individual  would  demonstrate 
that  America  has  no  more  valiant  and  loyal  defenders  than 
her  Italian  immigrants,  who,  if  need  arose,  would  rally 
to  defend  the  land  of  liberty  they  dearly  love. 

An  interesting  sidelight  on  this  idealism  of  the  Italian  is 
shown  in  the  management  of  the  war.  In  a  little  book, 
For  God  and  Our  Country,  the  soldier  is  told  to  remember, 
even  in  the  "furious  impetus  of  battle,  the  noble  traditions 
of  Latin  gentility,  and  to  avoid  being  cruel  toward  his 
enemy,  offensive  to  his  prisoners,  or  disrespectful  toward 


2i8  SONS  OF- ITALY 

any  woman." 1  General  Cadorna  has  taken  especial  care 
during  his  operations,  and  has  had  to  modify  them  at  times, 
to  spare  buildings  of  historic  or  artistic  interest.  He  ap- 
pointed early  in  the  war  a  commissioner  to  preserve  and 
care  for  all  art  objects  in  the  territory  captured  by  the 
Italians.  Such  is  the  Italian  love  and  reverence  for  art, 
that  its  wanton  destruction  is  unthinkable  to  him. 

In  Italy  this  idealism  is  exhibited  throughout  the  centuries 
in  the  thousands  who  have  worked  tirelessly  at  their  arts, 
paintings,  statues,  and  inventions,  with  a  passion  that  is 
remarkable.  They  get  but  a  scanty  living  from  it,  yet  their 
souls  are  fed.  Said  a  young  Italian  missionary  lately,  "I 
could,  of  course,  make  more  money  at  something  else,  but 
what  is  that? — the  ideal  is  gone." 

It  is  a  sorry  fact  that  as  they  come  to  this  country,  many 
drift  toward  materialism.  They  are  asked  to  write  "popu- 
lar music"  and  to  paint  daring  pictures  that  will  sell.  We 
must  have  a  care  for  the  training  and  for  the  use  to  which 
we  put  these  talents  entrusted  to  America.  We  must  keep 
alive  that  spark  which  is  our  peculiar  heritage  from  the 
Italy  of  the  past. 

"There  are  older  nations  than  Italy.  But  there  is  none 
other  in  the  mobile  world  of  the  white  race  that  approaches 
this  in  continuous  existence  as  a  people.  From  the  days  of 
the  Tarquins,  the  light  has  never  been  extinguished  on  the 
seven  hills. 

"We  like  to  think  of  modern  Italy  as  the  legitimate  de- 
scendant of  that  people  who,  two  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  heard  the  victorious,  insolent  enemy  battering  at  her 
gates  and,  as  an  answer,  put  up  at  auction  the  ground  on 
which  he  had  pitched  his  camp,  and  sold  it  at  a  record 
price.  .  .  . 

"And  in  their  eager,  almost  impetuous  desire  to  become 
Americans  in  fact  and  in  name,  we  entertain  a  hope  that 
they  will  contribute  to  the  American  character  something 

*A  book  provided  by  the  Italian  government  for  each  soldier. 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA     219 

of  the  indomitable  courage  that  has  kept  Italy  through  the 
triumphs  and  reverses,  the  moral  revolutions  and  the  ma- 
terial vicissitudes  of  2,300  years."  J 

AMERICA  THE  HOPE  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Thou  shalt  call  a  nation  that  thou  knowest  not  and 
nations  that  knew  not  thee  shall  run  unto  thee,  because 
of  the  Lord,  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  for  he  hath 
glorified  thee,"  might  be  spoken  as  truly  of  America  to-day 
as  of  Israel  of  old.  The  great  prophet  of  the  exile  had  two 
definite  convictions  in  his  mind.  First,  he  was  confident 
beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt,  that  the  truth  concerning  God 
and  his  purposes  in  the  world  was  especially  entrusted  to 
the  Hebrew  people;  and  further,  that  no  matter  what  the 
attitude  of  Israel  or  the  world  in  general  toward  this  truth, 
it  would  ultimately  draw  the  entire  world  to  itself.  Second, 
he  was  filled  with  a  burning  conviction  that  both  he  and 
his  people  had  a  distinct  mission  to  fulfil,  the  proclamation 
by  preaching  and  daily  living  of  the  righteous  will  of  God. 
These  two  clear-cut  thoughts  gave  inspiration  and  power  to 
the  servant  of  God  and  to  the  religious  element  of  the 
nation. 

The  primacy  among  nations  has  shifted  through  the  cen- 
turies. Nations  have  risen  to  prestige  and  power  because  of 
some  special  contribution  they  have  made  to  human  life. 
When  their  contributions  were  made,  they  sank  back  into 
insignificance.  In  every  case  the  cessation  of  struggle  and 
the  growth  of  material  prosperity  choked  the  spiritual  life. 
Egypt,  Syria,  Babylon,  classic  Greece,  and  imperial  Rome 
are  no  more.  The  splendor  of  the  Frankish  kingdom  waned 
before  the  Germanic  power.  Then  Spain  became  the  fore- 
most power  in  Europe,  then  France,  then  England,  and 
to-day  America  holds  the  center  of  the  world  stage.  This 
is  no  vainglorious  boasting.  This  is  the  verdict  of  the  world. 

1  Philadelphia  North  American,  March,  1911. 


220  SONS  OF  ITALY 

The  eyes  of  the  ends  of  the  earth  look  with  longing  at 
America,  the  land  of  hope  and  promise. 

"It  is  the  free  American  who  needs  to  be  instructed  by 
the  benighted  races  in  the  uplifting  word  that  America 
speaks  to  all  the  world.  Only  from  the  humble  immigrant, 
it  appears  to  me,  can  he  learn  just  what  America  stands  for 
in  the  family  of  nations.  The  alien  must  know  this,  for 
he  alone  seems  ready  to  pay  the  price  for  his  share  of  Amer- 
ica. He,  unlike  the  older  inhabitant,  does  not  come  into 
his  inheritance  by  birth.  Before  he  can  become  an  American 
he  must  first  be  an  immigrant.  More  than  that,  back  of 
immigration  lies  emigration.  To  him  alone  is  it  given  to 
know  the  bitter  sacrifice  and  upheaval  of  the  soul  which  are 
implied  in  those  two  words.  Oh,  if  I  could  show  you  Amer- 
ica as  we  of  the  oppressed  peoples  see  it,  if  I  could  bring  home 
to  you  even  the  smallest  fraction  of  the  sacrifice,  the  up- 
heaval, the  dreaming,  and  the  strife,  the  heartache  and  end- 
less disappointments,  the  yearning  and  despair,  before  we 
can  make  a  home  for  our  battered  spirits  in  this  land  of 
yours!"  1 

America  may  think  that  it  is  her  riches,  her  industry,  and 
her  material  prosperity  that  draw  millions  to  her  shores.  The 
foreigner  sees  these  and  something  more.  America  is  the 
symbol  of  justice,  brotherly  kindness,  equal  opportunity, 
personal  liberty,  free  education,  and  square  dealing.  What 
a  tragedy  if  such  an  ideal  fails  of  realization  in  hopeful 
hearts ! 

Israel  would  never  have  been  called  the  chosen  nation, 
were  wealth  the  necessary  element  of  leadership.  The 
prophet  did  not  say  that  other  peoples  would  look  to  her 
because  of  her  fat  vineyards,  her  great  treasures  stored  in 
the  temple,  or  her  wonderful  history.  It  was  only  the 
envious  conqueror  who  sought  these  things,  but  she  became 

1M.  E.  Ravage,  "To  America  on  Foot,"  Harper's  Magazine, 
March,  1917. 


THE  ITALIAN'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  AMERICA      221 

great  "because  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  for  He  hath  glorified  thee." 

The  ends  of  the  world,  willingly  or  unwillingly,  look  to 
America  for  leadership  not  because  she  is  great  from  a  mili- 
tary point  of  view,  but  because  of  her  general  attitude  to- 
ward all  questions  involving  moral  issues.  Regardless  of 
what  European  nations  may  say  or  think,  down  deep  in  their 
souls  they  have  a  wholesome  respect  for  America.  Never 
was  this  more  clearly  indicated  than  when,  at  the  time  of 
the  Boxer  uprising  in  China,  the  various  European  nations 
began  looking  with  hungry  eyes  to  that  empire,  with  the 
avowed  intention  of  partitioning  it  among  themselves.  There 
was  but  one  voice  raised  in  protest  against  this  impending 
-•oliation.  That  was  the  voice  of  the  United  States  of 
America.  She,  through  her  righteous  statesman,  John  Hay, 
expressed  her  opposition  to  any  such  action.  Hay  gave  voice 
to  the  public  sentiment  of  the  American  people  when  he  said, 
"America  stands  for  the  open  door  in  China  and  for  her 
integrity."  It  was  a  just  statement  from  a  just  man,  backed 
by  the  united  sentiment  of  a  just  nation.  What  was  the 
result?  Indignation  in  European  capitals?  Who  is  this 
upstart  nation  that  dares  oppose  the  wish  of  Europe  and 
presumes  to  teach  what  is  right?  Nevertheless,  once  the 
protest  was  sounded  and  the  moral  issue  raised,  Europe 
could  not  justify  herself,  if  she  ignored  it,  before  the  world, 
before  history,  and  before  her  own  people. 

In  the  great  world  war  each  of  the  belligerent  nations  has 
sought  to  retain  the  friendship  and  good  opinion  of  this 
country  and  has  sought  to  justify  every  move  because  it 
could  not  afford  to  neglect  the  psychological  effect  upon  its 
own  people  of  the  moral  judgment  of  America.  For  Amer- 
ica stands  before  the  world  as  the  standard-bearer  of  the 
rights  of  humanity,  not  only  the  legal,  but  the  moral  right 
to  life,  freedom,  and  the  unhindered  pursuit  of  happiness 
for  all. 

This  position  of  leadership  entails  serious  responsibilities. 


222  SONS  OF  ITALY 

The  carrying  out  of  God's  ultimate  purpose  and  plan  for 
humanity  may  be  delayed  by  the  inactivity  of  a  nation,  but 
it  cannot  be  thwarted.  Men  and  nations  may  prove  faithless, 
and  so  bring  upon  the  world  an  age  of  darkness  such  as 
preceded  the  birth  of  Christ  or  the  Reformation,  but  it  is 
God's  eternal  will  that  men  shall  know  him.  America's 
hour  is  now.  God  grant  she  may  not  fail. 

They  tell   me  thou   art  rich,  my  country;   gold 

In  glittering  flood  has  poured  into  thy  chest; 

Thy  flocks  and  herds  increase,  thy  barns  are  pressed 

With  harvest,   and  thy  stores  can   hardly  hold 

Their  merchandise;   unending  trains  are  rolled 

Along  thy  network  rails  of  east  and  west; 

Thou  art  enriched  in  all  things  bought  and  sold! 

But  dost  thou  prosper?    Better  news  I  crave. 

Oh,   dearest  country,   ia  it  well   with  thee 

Indeed,  and   is  thy  soul   in  health? 

A  nobler  people,  hearts  more  wisely  brave, 

And  thoughts  that  lift  men  up  and  make  them  free,— 

These  are  prosperity  and  vital  wealth. 

— Henry  Van  Dyke. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Books  for  General  Background 

Fairchild,    Henry    P.     Immigration.      Macmillan    Company.    New 
York.    $1.75. 

Grose,  Howard  B.    Aliens  or  Americans?    1906.    Missionary  Edu- 
cation Movement,  New  York.     50  cents. 

Haskin,  Frederic  J.     The  Immigrant.     1913.     Fleming  H.  Revell 
Co.,  New  York.     $1.25. 

Jenks,  Jeremiah  W.,  and  Lauck,  W.  Jett.     The  Immigration  Prob- 
lem.    1912.     Funk  &   Wagnalls  Co.,     New  York.     $1.75. 

Kellor,  Frances  A.    Straight  America.    1916.    Macmillan  Company, 
New  York.     50  cents. 

Kinney,  Bruce.    Kingdom  Preparedness.    1913.    Fleming  H.  Revell 
Co.,  New  York.     75  cents. 

Love,  James  Franklin.     The  Mission  of  Our  Nation.    1912.    Flem- 
ing H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.     $1.00. 

McClure,    Archibald.      Leadership    of   the   New   America.      1916. 
George  H.  Doran  Co.,  New  York.    $1.25. 

Patri,  Angelo.     The  Story  of  a  School.     1917.     Macmillan  Com- 
pany.    $1.50. 

Roberts,  Peter.     The  New  Immigration.     1912.     Macmillan  Com- 
pany, New  York.     $1.60. 

Ross,  Edward  A.     Changing  America:  Studies  in  Contemporary 
Society.     1912.     Century  Company,  New  York.    $1.20. 
The  Old  World  in  the  New.     1914.     Century  Company,  New 
York.     $2.50. 

Shriver,  William  P.    Immigrant  Forces.    1913.    Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement,  New  York.     60  cents. 

Steiner,   Edward  A.      The  Immigrant   Tide:  Its  Ebb   and  Flow. 
1909.     Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.     $1.50. 

Warne,  Frank  J.     The  Immigrant  Invasion.    1913.    Dodd,  Mead  & 
Co.,  New  York.     $2.50. 

Books  on  Italy  and  the  Italians 

Arrighi,  Antonio  Andrea.    The  Story  of  Antonio  the  Galley  Slave. 
1911.     Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $1.25. 

Bagot,  Richard.     Italians  of  To-day.     1913.     F.  G.  Browne,  Chi- 
cago.    $1.25. 

Bartoli,  Giorgio.     The  Primitive  Church  and  the  Primacy  of  Rome. 
Hodder  and  Stoughton,  New  York.     (Out  of  print.) 
223 


224  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Blunt,  James.     Vestiges  of  Ancient  Rites  and  Customs  Discover- 
able in  Modern  Italy  and  Sicily.  London,  1823.     (Out  of  print.) 

Crawford,  Francis  Marion.     The  Rulers  of  the  South.    Macmillan 
Company,  New  York.    $5.00  set 

Eager,  J.  H.    Romanism  in  Its  Home.    American  Baptist  Publica- 
tion Company,  Philadelphia. 

Garlanda,  Frederico.     The  New  Italy.    1911.    G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons, 
New  York.     $1.50. 

Gibson,  James.     The  Waldenses:  Their  Home  and  History.    Wal- 
densian  Church  Mission  in  Italy,  London,  England. 

Guard,  William  J.     The  Spirit  of  Italy.     1916.    H.  Rogowski,  New 
York. 

King,  Bolton.    Italy  To-day.    Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York. 
$2.00. 

Lapworth,   Charles.     Tripoli  and  Young  Italy.     S.  Swift  &  Co., 
London. 

Lord,  Eliot;  Trenor,  John  J.  D. ;   Barrows,  Samuel.     The  Italian 
in  America.    B.  F.  Buck  &  Co.,  New  York.     (Out  of  print.) 

Luzzi,  Giovanni.    The  Struggle  for  Christian  Truth  in  Italy.    1913. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $1.50. 

Powell,  E.  Alexander.     Italy  at  War.     1917.     Charles  Scribner's 
Sons.    $1.50. 

Robinson,  Alexander.     The  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Italy.    Mor- 
gan &  Scott,  London. 

Steedman,  Amy.     Legends  and  Stories  of  Italy.     G.  P.  Putnam's 
Sons,  New  York.     $1.50. 

Truitt,  Charles.     War-time  Letters  from  Italy.     19x5.     Sherwood 
Press,  New  York. 

Villari,  Luigi.     Italian  Life  in  Town  and  Country.     1902.     G.  P. 
Putnam's  Sons,  New  York.     $1.20. 

Von  Zedwitz,  Baroness.     The  Double  Doctrine  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.     Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.     35  cents. 

Wallace,  William  Kay.     Greater  Italy.     1917.     Charles  Scribner's 
Sons.     $2.50. 

Wells,  Herbert  George.    Italy,  France  and  Britain  at  War.     1917. 
Macmillan   Company,   New  York.     $1.50. 

Zimmern,  Helen.  Italian  Leaders  of  To-day.    Williams  &  Norgate, 
London. 

Italy   of  the  Italians.     1906.     Charles  Scribner's  Sons,   New 
York.     $1.50. 

Books  in  Italian 
(May  be  ordered  at  Brentano's,  New  York) 

Benardy,  Amy  A.     Italia  Randaggia.    Bocca  Brothers,  Turin. 

Comba,  Emilio.    Storia  de'  Valdese.    The  Waldensian  Press,  Flor- 
ence. 
/  Nostri  Protestanti.    The  Waldansian  Press,  Florence. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  225 

Mosso,  Angelo.    La  Vita  Moderna  degli  Italiani.    Treves  Brothers, 

Milan.     $1.00. 
Pecorini,   Alberto.     Gli  Americani  nella  Vita  Moderna,  Osservati 

da  un  Italiano.     Treves  Brothers,  Milan.    $1.25. 
Preziosi,   Giovanni.     //  Problema  dell'  Italia  d'Oggi.     Remo  San- 

dron,  Milan,  Palermo,  Naples. 

Gl'  Italiani  negli  Stati  Uniti  del  Nord.    The  Editor's  Library, 

Milan. 

Magazine  Articles 

Warnes,  Arthur  H.  "A  Country  Where  Going  to  America  Is  an 
Industry."  National  Geographic  Magazine,  December,  1909. 

Riggs,  Arthur  Stanley.  "Italy,  Gifted  Mother  of  Civilization." 
National  Geographic  Magazine,  October,  1916. 

Guerazzi,  G.  F.  "Why  Italy  Is  at  War."  Current  History,  May 
and  June,  1916. 

"Inexhaustible   Italy."     National   Geographic  Magazine,   No- 
vember, 1916. 

Mangano,  Antonio.  "The  Effects  of  Emigration  Upon  Italy."  A 
series  of  articles  on  the  causes  and  effects  of  Italian  immigra- 
tion. Charities  and  the  Commons,  January,  February,  April, 
May,  June,  1908. 

"Camp  Schools  for  Immigrants."    The  Immigrants  in  America 
Review,  June,  1915. 

"The  Gentle  Art  of  Alienating  Aliens."     The  Immigrants  in 
America  Review,  March,   1916. 

Ciolli,  Domenick.  "The  Wop  in  the  Track  Gang."  The  Immi- 
grants in  America  Review,  June,  1915. 

Speranza,  Gino  C.  "A  Soldier's  Prayers."  The  Outlook,  February 
14,  1917. 

"Immigrants  in  Canada:  Work  in  a  Construction  Camp  on  the 
Western  Frontier  of  Canada."     World's  Work,  April,  1914. 

Kellor,  Frances  A.  "Who  Is  Responsible  for  the  Immigrant?" 
The  Outlook,  April  25,  1914. 

Creel,  George.  "The  Hope  of  the  Hyphenated."  Putnam's,  Jan- 
uary, 1915. 

Pamphlets  and  Bulletins 

Brooks,  Charles  Alvin.  "The  Church  and  the  Foreigner."  Help- 
ful practical  chapters  on  work  for  adults,  mothers,  children. 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  New  York. 

Kellor,  Frances  A.  "Immigrants  in  America:  A  Program  for  a 
Domestic  Policy."  Committee  for  Immigrants  in  America,  New 
York. 

Lovejoy,  Owen.  "Child  Labor  in  the  Tenements."  National  Child 
Labor  Committee,  New  York. 

Mangano,  Antonio.  "Religious  Work  for  Italians  in  America:  A 
Handbook  for  Leaders  in  Missionary  Work."  Immigrant  Work 
Committee  of  the  Home  Missions  Council,  New  York. 


226  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Pomeroy,  Sarah  G.  The  Italian.  1915.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co., 
New  York.  20  cents. 

Stella,  Dr.  Antonio.  "The  Prevalence  of  Tuberculosis  Among 
Italians  in  the  United  States."  (A  Reprint  from  Transactions 
of  Sixth  International  Congress  on  Tuberculosis,  September  28- 
October  5,  1902.) 

"Effects  of  Urban  Congestion  on  Italian  Women  and  Chil- 
dren." William  Wood  &  Co.,  New  York. 

Wheaton,  H.  H.  "Recent  Progress  in  the  Education  of  Immigrants." 
Department  of  Interior,  Bureau  of  Education,  June  30,  1914. 

Whittinghill,  D.  G.  "Protestant  Work  and  Prospects  in  Italy." 
Rochester  Theological  Seminary  Bulletin,  May,  1914,  pp.  46-58. 

Wright,  Frederick  H.  "The  Italian  in  America."  Missionary 
Education  Movement,  New  York.  5  cents. 

"Americanizing  a  City."  National  Americanization  Committee. 
Annual  Report  of  Commission  of  Immigration,  United  States 
Department  of  Labor.  June  30,  1915.  Government  Printing 
Office,  Washington. 

"The  Italian  on  the  Land."  Bulletin  of  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  No.  70.  May,  1907.  Government  Printing 
Office,  Washington. 

"The  Padrone  System  and  Padrone  Banks."  Bulletin  of  De- 
partment of  Labor.  March,  1897. 

"Professional  Course  for  Service  Among  Immigrants."  Pre- 
pared by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  by  Committee 
for  Immigrants  in  America,  New  York. 

Statement  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  June,  1915,  p.  23. 
Department  of  the  Interior.  Government  Printing  Office, 
Washington. 

"What  Women's  Organizations  Can  Do."  National  American- 
ization Committee,  New  York. 

The  Bureau  of  Immigrant  Education,  Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  will  gladly  furnish  information  and  suggestions  re- 
garding methods  of  work  in  educating  and  Americanizing  for- 
eigners. 

Leaflets 

Haynes,  Rev.  Emory  J.  "Pietro  the  Roman."  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions and  Church  Extension  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Philadelphia. 

Lake,  Eva  M.  "Italians  and  the  Simple  Gospel."  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Cin- 
cinnati. 

Urbano,  Francesco.  "Confirmation  of  Italians  in  Grace  Chapel." 
/  Rintocchi,  May,  1916. 


"The  Waldenses,  The  Israel  of  the  Alps."    Waldensian  Aid 
Society,  New  York. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  227 

"The  Waldenses  and  Their  Work."    Waldensian  Aid  Society, 

New  York. 
Morse,  W.  H.     "Timoteo  at  the  Front;  an  Interrupted  Message 

from  the  Trenches."    Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York. 
Peat,   Cora   E.     "Some  Italian   Boys."     Board   of   Home   Missions 

and    Church   Extension   of   the   Methodist  Episcopal    Church, 

Philadelphia. 
Reynolds,   Minnie  J.     'The  Italian   and   His   Church   at  Home." 

Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  New  York. 

"Is  America  Making  Criminals?"    Congregational  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  New  York. 
Shepherd,   Bertha   M.     "How    Christopher   Columbus   Discovered 

America,"     Congregational    Home    Missionary    Society,    New 

York. 
Tipple,  Bertrand  Martin.    "Methodism  in  Italy."    Methodist  Press, 

Rome,  Italy. 

Many  of  the  different  denominations  have  prepared  other  tracts 
on  Italians.  Especially  good  is  an  illustrated  lecture,  "The  Adven- 
tures of  Tony,"  published  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home 
Missions,  New  York.  For  particulars  regarding  the  Waldensian 
colonies  of  Valdese  and  Gainesville  and  the  Waldensians  in  South 
America  apply  to  the  Waldensian  Aid  Society,  213  West  y6th 
Street,  New  York. 

Helps  for  Work  Among  Italians 

Austin,  R.  Lessons  In  English  for  Foreign  Women.  American 
Book  Company,  New  York.  35  cents. 

Barnes,  Mary  C.  Early  Stories  and  Songs  for  New  Students  of 
English.  1914.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.  60  cents. 

Burke,  B.  H.  First  Book  for  Italians.  E.  Babb  &  Co.,  Boston. 
30  cents. 

Carr,  John  Foster.  Guide  to  the  United  States  for  the  Immigrant. 
(Italian  edition.)  Immigration  Society,  241  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York.  30  cents, 

Immigrant  and  Library:  Italian  Helps.     Immigrant  Publica- 
tion Society,  New  York.    35  cents. 

Chanceller,  William  E.  Standard  Short  Course  for  Evening 
Schools — Studies  in  English.  1913.  American  Book  Com- 
pany, New  York.  30  cents. 

Domenica,  Angelo  D.  The  Italian  Helps  for  Christian  Workers. 
Griffith  and  Rowland  Press,  Philadelphia. 

Roberts,  Peter.  English  for  Coming  Americans:  Teachers'  Man- 
ual, Lesson  Leaves,  Conversation  Cards.  1909.  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Press,  New  York.  50  cents. 

English   for   Coming   Americans    (with   wall   charts).      1909. 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Press,  New  York.     $1.25. 
English  for  Foreigners.    University  of  Chicago  Press,  Chicago. 

Tupper,  George  W.  Information  on  "An  Italian  Evening"  in 
"Foreign-Born  Neighbors,"  p.  156.  Taylor  Press,  Boston. 


228  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Walker,  Edith.    English  for  Italians.     1913.    William  R.  Jenkins, 
New   York.     $1.00. 

Elementary  English  Conversation  Grammar  in  Italian.    Bren- 
tano's,  New  York.     70  cents.  , 

Messages  for  Neva  Comers  to  the  United  States.    North  Amer- 
ican Civic  League  for  Immigrants.     173  State  Street,  Boston. 

NOTE:  Care  must  be  exercised  in  selecting  Italian  records  for 
a  phonograph  to  select  only  well-known  airs,  or  operas,  or  to  ask 
the  assistance  of  a  reliable  Italian,  as  the  words  of  street  songs 
are  sometimes  objectionable. 


INDEX 


Abruzzesi,  the,  14 

Absentee  landlords,  43 

Aggressive  campaign  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  151 

Agriculture,  as  a  field  for  Italians,  31; 
progress  and  training  in,  62 

Allegiance  of  emigrants  still  claimed  by 
Italy,  124,  125 

America,  the  world's  hope,  219;  her 
position,  198;  to  learn  from  the  im- 
migrant, 220;  work  of,  for  China,  221 

Americanization  a  slow  process,  179,  182 

"Americanization  Factory,"  143 

Anarchists,  51 

Antin,  Mary,  141 

Appeals,  emotional  or  intellectual,  184 

Argentina  Italians,  136 

Aristocracy  a  numerous  class,  42 

Army  and  navy,  positions,  schools,  and 
training,  45-4? 

Arnold  of  Brescia,  84,  86 

Art  and  paintings,  39,  43 

Art  glass  works,  27 

Artisans,  45 

Artistic  workmen  and  training  in  art, 
29,  30 

Arts  and  crafts  workers,  117,  118 

Atheism,  largely  found  among  students 
and  professors,  48,  50,  85 


B 


Baptist  (Northern),  mission  work  in 
United  States,  168,  169,  175;  (South- 
ern),  mission  work  in  Italy,  87-89, 
9i,  92 

Ban,  67 

Barnes,  Mary  C.,  referred  to,  145 

Barre,  Vermont,  29-31 


Bartoli,  Georgio,  referred  to,  49 

Beer  as  a  test,  25 

Benardy,  Amy,  quoted,  154 

Bellondi,  Rev.  Ariel,  151 

Benevolent  Institute,  the,  135 

Bergson  appreciated,  49 

Bible,  91;  ignorance  of  the,  48,  50;  in 
view  of  the  Roman  Church,  82;  issue 
of  portions,  95,  96. 

Bible  women,  94 

Bishops,  83 

Black,  Hugh,  quoted,  132,  162 

Blunt,  Dr.,  quoted,  77,  78 

Boomer,  West  Virginia,  coal  mining, 
26,  27 

Boss,  story  of  a,  8-14 

Bosses  lose  control,  144 

Botta,  Cesare,  36 

Bottome,  George  H.,  quoted,  2 

Branch  church,  the,  168,  171 

Brooklyn  centers,  163,  165 

Brotherly  cooperation  and  supervision, 
173,  189 

Bruno,  Giordano,  84,  86;  commem- 
oration, 51,  73 

Bums,  Rev.  J.  A.,  quoted,  140 

Burt,  Bishop  William,  89 


Cadorna,  Gen.,  218 
Calabresi,  the,  14,  27 
Camorra,  1 06 
Campagna,  the,  52 
Catholic  protectorates,  152 
Catholics.     See  Roman  Catholic  Church 
Celibacy,  49 

Charity     Organization      Society     and 
Board  of  Health,  New  York  City,  142 
Child  labor,  no 
China,  America's  work  for,  221 


229 


230 


INDEX 


Christ.     See  Jesus  Christ 

Churchgoing  neglected  by  men,  71 

Cigar  making  in  homes,  9 

City  College,  New  York  City,  21 

Clark,  Dr.  N.  Walling,  89,  91 

Clerical  profession,  47 

Clothes,  change  to  American.  5,  21 

College  on  Monte  Mario,  90 

Colporteurs,  94 

Community  centers,  165 

Congregationalist  mission  work,  168 

Conquests,  some  notable  results  of,  202 

Converted  priests,  185 

Converts  as  mission  workers,  91-94 

Crandon  International  Institute,  89,  90 

Crap  shooting  and  gambling,  6,  7 

Crawford,  Elliot,  quoted,  117 

Crawford,  Marion,  quoted,  214 

Croce,  Benedetto,  referred  to,  49 


D'Annunzio,  quoted,  70;  referred  to,  63, 

64,  113 
Dante,  68 

Davenport  Settlement,  168,  175 
D'Azeglio,  Massimo,  quoted,  58 
Debt-paying  by  Italians,  119,  120 
Democratic  spirit,  58,  68 
Denominationalism,  191 
Detroit's  plans,  142 
Disabled  ministers'  fund,  90 
Disease  from  overcrowding,  24,  25 
Domenick,    typical    immigrant    agent, 

3,4 

Domestic  traits,  33,  34 
Dwight,  Helen  C.,  quoted,  132 


Economic  development,  65,  66 

Educated  Italians,  30 

Education,  41,  45,  49,  60-62 

Electricity,  large  use  of,  66 

Elena,  Queen,  59 

Ellis  Island,  3,  99 

English  language  studied  and  taught, 

21,  30,  31 

Ensley,  Alabama,  work,  177 


Epworth  League  gift,  90 
Esthetic  contribution  of  Italy,  213 
European  War  and  its  influence,  68,  85 
Evangelical   reputation,   effects   of   on 

Italians,  207 

Evangelization.     See  Missions 
Ex-priests,  schools  for,  91 


Family  ties  and  the  church,  179 

Fees  of  the  Roman  Church,  176,  177 

Financiers  control  our  country,  213 

Finch,  Charles  E.,  143 

Florence,  42,  47 

Fogazzaro,  referred  to,  49,  50 

Food  conditions  on  immigrant  ships,  4 

Fraccone,  typical  padrone,  5,  6 

Freedom,  effects  of,  172;  of  religion,  208 

Freethinkers,  50,  51 


Gambling  and  sporting  tendencies,  27, 

30,  44,  48,  108 

Gardens  and  fruit-growing,  25 
Garibaldi,  Bruno,  90;  family,  90;  Italia, 

90 
Garibaldi,     General     Giuseppe,      130; 

residence  in  America,  36;  statement 

concerning  Bible,  96;  story  relating 

to,  73,  74 
Genoa,  43,  67 
Genovesi,  the,  14 
Gibbons,  Cardinal,  quoted,  83,  84 
Gill,  Rev.  Everett,  88 
Giolitti,  Signor,  referred  to,  44,  51,  59 
God  in  history,  202 
"Good-will    Center,"    Brooklyn,    New 

York,  150,  165,  177 
Grace  Chapel,  New  York  City,  189 
Grantwood,  New  Jersey,  168 
Greater  New  York  Protestantism,  200 
Grose,  H.  B.,  quoted,  2,  98,  132 


Hammonton,  New  Jersey,  and  Italian 
agriculturists,  32,  38,  107 


INDEX 


231 


Haskin,  Frederic  J.,  quoted,  106 
Hay,  John,  221 
Health  and  sanitation,  63 
Hillis,  Newell  Dwight,  quoted,  106 
Hindrances  to  assimilation,  13 
Housing  conditions,  23-25 
Hull  House  activities,  147,  148 
Humbert,  King,  57;  Prince,  58 


Idealist,  the  Italian  an,  214,  217,  218; 
representatives,  215. 

//  Bilychnis,  influence  as  a  review,  88 

Immigration  from  Italy,  35,  36 

Immorality  among  priests,  48 

Independence  of  churches  to  be  fos- 
tered, 172,  176 

"Index"  of  condemned  books,  49,  81 

Industrial  expansion,  66,  67 

Industrial  Workers  of  the  World,  29 

Intemperance,  27,  48 

International  Institute  for  young 
women,  90 

Inventions,  66 

Investigating  Bureau,  the,  135 

Italian,  denominational  papers,  advan- 
tages of  merging,  191;  emigrant  and 
the  government,  134-136;  hospitals. 
New  York  City,  136;  institute,  Chica- 
go, 177;  Red  Cross  and  war  relief, 
129;  settlement  in  Texas,  9 

Italians,  as  church-members,  166,  179; 
city  colony  clannishness,  103,  105; 
crime,  105-108;  handicaps  of  igno- 
rance of  English  and  early  country 
training,  102;  high  rents,  irregular 
employment,  low  wages,  102;  few  in- 
sane, and  general  mentality,  1 1 1-117; 
financial  showing,  118-120;  good 
qualities,  205;  in  coal  mining,  26,  27; 
in  colonies  in  America  by  provinces, 
14;  immigrants  mostly  from  south- 
em  Italy,  99;  middle  class,  44;  nat- 
uralization and  citizenship,  120,  121, 
124,  125;  nobility,  42-44;  poverty  in 
Italy,  09,  100;  progress  of  ambitious, 
115;  racial  strains,  54,  56;  social 
status  at  home,  100,  101. 


Italians,  northern,  29,  36,  52,  53,  58; 
southern,  27,  37,  51.  52,  58,  99;  com- 
pared with  northern,  110-114 

Italy,  as  vanguard  of  civilization,  39; 
central  and  southern,  43,  56,  85; 
contrasts,  41;  democratic  spirit,  58; 
dialects,  41;  economic  growth,  65,  66; 
education,  60-62;  humanity  of  soul, 
39;  illiteracy,  59-61;  intellectual  life, 
59,  60;  industrial  era,  66,  67;  in  the 
European  War,  215,  317;  many 
political  parties,  58;  physical  culture, 
65;  recent  history,  57;  sanitary 
progress,  63;  unification,  58 


James,  William,  early  study  of,  in  Italy, 

49 
Jesus  Christ,  92,  93,  114 


Kansas  City  work,  150 
Kennedy,  John  S.,  87 


Labor  Bureau,  the,  135;  camp  schools, 

136,  137;  unskilled,  by  Italians,  22,  23 
Landar,  H.  D.,  quoted,  202 
Landlords,  43 
Language,  a  factor  in  services,  167,  181; 

in  nation  and  in  family  life,  180;  for 

the  religious  teacher,  186 
Lapworth,  Charles,  quoted,  53,  59,  60, 

215,  217 

Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  151 
Lax  Romanists,  153-155,  158 
Leadership   qualities,    183;  ideal  staff, 

188,  189 

Legal  profession,  45 
Liberty  and  license,  156 
Literacy  test  in  United  States,  101 
Literary  work,  95 
Literature,  63 

Local  committee  work  useful,  170 
Lombardy,  43,  51,  56 
Lombroso,  referred  to,  64 


232 


INDEX 


Lovitt,  Mr.,  University  of  Toronto,  ex- 
perience in  lumber  camp,  137 
Luther,  referred  to,  82,  83 
Luzzatti,  Luigi,  quoted,  208 

M 

Machinery  unprotected,  14-16 

Mackey,  Rev.  Charles,  quoted,  140 

Mafia,  106,  107 

Mancuri,  Professor,  quoted,  215 

Mania,  Daniel,  215 

Manners  of  older  nobility,  44 

Marconi,  referred  to,  66 

Mariolatry,  78,  79 

Marriage  customs,  35 

Materialism,  drift  toward,  218 

Mathews,  Shailer,  quoted,  162 

Mazzini,  quoted,  68 

Medical  profession,  45 

Memorial  and  monuments  to  famous 
Italians,  126,  130 

Mentality  of  Italians,  111-117 

Methodist  (Canadian)  mission  work  in 
Toronto,  169 

Methodist  (northern)  in  return  work 
in  Italy,  91-93;  mission  work  in 
Italy,  59,  90;  mission  work  in  United 
States,  169 

Michelangelo,  referred  to,  68 

Middle  class,  44,  45 

Migration,  causes  of,  198;  some  effects, 
202 

Milan,  43,  67 

Minocchi,  Salvator,  referred  to,  49 

Mission,  periodicals  in  Italy,  88,  90,  94; 
schools  in  Italy,  89,  90;  typical 
services  in  America,  17-20;  zeal  of 
converts,  211 

Missions  in  Italy,  86-96;  help  of 
American  converts,  91-94;  statistics, 
94 

Missions  in  United  States  and  Canada, 
IS3-I94;  statistics,  175 

Mississippi  Valley  Immigration  Com- 
pany, 31 

Modenese,  the,  29 

Modernists,  48,  49 

Money,  and  membership,  177;  deter- 
mining American  "justice,"  121-124 


Moore,  Miss  Sarah,  137 
Moral  training  often  lacking,  141 
Moving  pictures,  6,  17,  30 
Mulberry  Street,  New  York  City,  6,  14 
Murri,  Romulo,  referred  to,  49 
Music  pursued  by  Italians,  16,  17,  34 
Music  School  Settlement,   New  York 
City,  213 


N 


Naples,  42,  52,  67,  74,  106 

National  Americanization  Committee, 

146 

Nationalism,  68 
Neapolitans,  14,  32,  41,  107 
Neighborhood  mother,  a,  145,  146 
New  standard  of  life  in  America  by 

Italians,  109 
New  York   City,   80;   Italians  in,   38; 

tenement  quarters,  6,  23 
Night  schools,  142 
Nobility,  contempt  of  for  work,  44 
North  American  Review,  202 

O 

Obstacles  in  work  of  Italian  evangeliza- 
tion, 192-194 

Occupations  of  Italians  in  America,  21, 
22 

Organization,  questions  of  church,  166, 
168,  171 

Orphanages,  94 


Padrones'  extortion  and  oppression,  5, 

10 

Paintings,  63 
Palermo,  67,  107 
Papacy  and  the  Vatican,  50,  Si,  57,  58, 

71.  73,  80,  86,  87 

Papers,  American,  in  Italian,  125-128 
Parental   relation  and  control   among 

immigrants,  109,  no 
Parochial  schools,  139 
Peasants,  43,  44,  51-54 
Personal  life  and  touch,    133;   of  the 

worker,  182;  personal  service,  201 


INDEX 


233 


Philadelphia  North  American,  218 
Physical  ministry  not  all.  158 
Physicians'    exorbitant    charges,    and 

quacks,  127,  128 
Piedmontese,  29,  41,  56 
Presbyterian    mission    work,    169;    in 

Kansas  City,  175 

Priests,  59,  82,  83,  157;  efforts  to  con- 
trol the  people,  17,  18;  kindness  of 
some,  48;  lazy  and  neglectful  life  of 
others,  48;  political  efforts  of  many 
of  higher  rank,  50;  scorned  by  many 
of  the  people,  73 

Professional  life  of  Italians,  22,  23,  45 
Proselytizing,  charges  of,  154,  158 
Protectorates,  conditions  in,  9 
Protestant,    doctrines    compared    with 
Roman  Catholic,  80-84;  influences,  49; 
Italians,  169;  peasant  majority,  51 
Protestant  Episcopal  mission  work,  169 
Protestant  Missions.     See  Missions 
Protestantism,  fundamentals  revived  by 

Italians,  206 

Public    schools,    140-142;    lecture    de- 
partment,   142;    teachers    who    are 
pro-Roman  Catholic,  193,  194 
Publishing  houses,  89,  90,  94 
Puritanism   an   element   in   converted 
Italians,  208 


Quarrymen,  29,  30 


R 


Race  elements,  54-57 

Race  prejudice,  ancient  and  modern, 

178,  181 
Railroad  section  gang  labor  in  America, 

10-13 

Railroads  and  tunnels  in  Italy,  66 
Ranch  life  in  Texas,  9 
Raphael,  68 

Ravage,  M.  E.,  quoted,  28,  220 
Real  estate  in  New  York  City  owned  by 

Italians,  118 

Reality  and  importance  of  religion,  208 
Refinements  observed,  187 
Reformation,  the,  84 


Reformed  Church  in  America,  mission 
work,  169 

Reich,  Emil,  quoted,  213 

Relics  of  saints,  79,  80 

Religion  and  the  Bible  in  conversation, 
209 

Renaissance,  39,  84 

Response  to  kindness,  134 

Responsibility  of  America,  200 

Richmond  Hill  House,  New  York  City, 
147 

Riggs,  Arthur  S.,  quoted,  39 

Rochester  plans,  143;  opposition,  144 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  deeply  dis- 
liked by  many  Italians,  75;  discloses 
heathen  rites,  75-77;  doctrinal  teach- 
ings as  compared  with  Protestant, 
80-84;  duplicity  of,  206;  political 
aspirations,  207,  208 

Rome,  43,  47,  87 

Ross,  Professor  Edward  A.,  Quoted, 
no,  ui 

Rudini,  Marquis  de,  referred  to,  44 


Saint  worship,  79,  80 
Salandra,  Signor,  referred  to,  44 
Saloon  influence,  108 
Savings  by  Italians,  118,  119 
Savonarola,  84,  86 
Savonarola  Institute,  91 
Schools,  60-62;  mission,  89,  94 
Sciacca,  Sicily,  sanitarium,  26 
Self-supporting  churches   in   America, 

169 
Sermons  very  few  in  Roman  churches 

in  Italy,  72 

Service,  no  ideal  of,  142 
Settlement  work,  educational,  religious, 

and  social,  147 
Shepherds,  52 
Sicilians,  27,  36,  42 
Social  and  business  organizations,  128- 

130 

Socialism  and  socialists,  51,  59 
Societies     frequently     organized     by 

Italians,  125 
"Sons  of  Italy,"  organization,  129 


234 


INDEX 


Stages  of  the  work,  experimental,  163; 

intensive  and  preparatory,  164 
Society,  of  St.  Gerolamo,  95;  of  San 

Raffaele,  135 
Statistics  of  Italian  Protestant  churches 

and  missions  in  United  States,   175 
Steiner,  Professor,  quoted,  159 
Stella,  Dr.  Antonio,  115;  quoted,  23,  25 
Stewart,  Rev.  J.  P.,  88 
Sunday-school  work,  90,  94 


Tagore,  Rabindranath,  quoted,  196 

Taylor,  Rev.  George  B.,  87,  88 

Temporal  power,  5  7 

Tent  campaign,  164 

Terni,  67 

Theological  schools,  88,  89,  94 

Tipple,  Dr.  Bertram,  89 

Tommaso,    typical    child    immigrant, 

3-21 

Toronto,  work  in,  169,  177 
Trades  of  Italians,  21,  22 
Traditions,  need  of  respect  for  Italian, 

178 
Training  and  training  institutions,  184, 

190,  214 

Trent,  67;  Council  of,  85 
Trieste,  67 

Tripoli,  war  with,  57,  68,  217 
Tuberculosis,  9,  23,  26 
Tuscany,  43,  52,  56 


U 


United  Presbyterian  mission  work,  169 
Universities  in  Italy,  41,  45,  48,  50,  61, 
62 


Valhalla,  137 

Valuable  results  of  past  immigration  to 

the  United  States,  204 
Van  Dyke,  Henry,  quoted,  222 
Venetians,  29,  42 
Venice,  42,  47,  52,  67 
Vernon,  Dr.  Leroy  M.,  89 
Victor  Emmanuel,  58,  87 
Village  Catholic  Sunday  pictured,  71-73 
Villari,  Luigi,  quoted,  41,  43,  44,  56,  57 

W 

Wages,  22,  23;  affected  by  emigration, 

54 
Waldensians,  84-87;  American  colony, 

31;  American  mission  work,  169 
Washington,  George,  and  Italian  pedler, 

35,  36 

Water  supply,  63 
Whittinghill,  Rev.  D.  G.,  88 
Wilkinson,  Florence,  quoted,  98 
William,  German  Emperor,  43 
Women  in  Italy,  charitable  work  of,  50 
Women's   clubs  and   home  lessons   in 

America,  144,  145 
Work,  contempt  for  by  nobility,  44 
World's  debt  to  Italy,  205,  215 
World's  Work,  138 


Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  20, 
138,  139 


Zimmern,  Helen,  quoted,  40 


3Ust  of 

n  itoa 

Comsponbents 


anb 


THE  Missionary  Education  Movement  is  conducted  in  behalf  of  the  Foreign 
and  Home  Mission  Boards  and  Societies  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Orders  for  literature  on  foreign  and  home  missions  should  be  addressed 
to  the  secretaries  representing  those  organizations,  who  are  prepared  to  furnish 
special  helps  to  leaders  of  mission  study  classes  and  to  other  missionary  workers. 

If  the  address  of  the  secretary  of  the  Foreign  or  Home  Mission  Board  or  Society 
of  your  denomination  is  unknown,  orders  may  be  sent  to  the  Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement.  All  persons  ordering  from  the  Missionary  Education  Movement 
are  requested  to  indicate  their  denominations  when  ordering. 

ADVENT  CHRISTIAN — American  Advent  Mission  Society,  Rev.  George  E.  Tyler, 
160  Warren  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

ASSOCIATE  REFORMED  PRESBYTERIAN — Young  People's  Christian  Union  and  Sab- 
bath School  Work,  Rev.  J.  W.  Carson,  Newberry,  S.  C. 

BAPTIST  (NORTH) — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  Cooperating 
Organizations  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention.  23  East  26th  Street, 
New  York  City. 

BAPTIST  (Soura) — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
Rev.  T.  B.  Ray,  1103  Main  Street,  Richmond,  Va.  (Correspondence  con- 
cerning both  foreign  and  home  missions.) 

BAPTIST  (COLORED) — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  National  Baptist  Conven- 
tion, Rev.  L.  G.  Jordan,  701  South  Nineteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

CHRISTIAN — The  Mission  Board  of  the  Christian  Church;  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
M.  T.  M  orrill ;  Home  Missions,  Rev.  Omer  S.  Thomas,  C.  P.  A.  Building, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

CHRISTIAN  REFORMED — Board  of  Heathen  Missions,  Rev.  Henry  Beets,  2050 
Francis  Avenue,  S.  E.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN — General  Mission  Board  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Rev.  Galen  B.  Royer,  Elgin,  111. 

CONGREGATIONAL — American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 

D.  Brewer  Eddy,  14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
American  Missionary  Association,  Rev.  C.  J.  Ryder,  287  Fourth  Avenue,  New 

York  City. 
The  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  William  S.   Beard,   287 

Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST — Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  Stephen  J. 

Corey,  Box  884,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  American  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Mr.  R.  M.  Hopkins,  Carew  Build- 
ing, Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


EVANGELICAL  ASSOCIATION — Missionary  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Association, 
Rev.  George  Johnson,  1903  Woodland  Avenue,  S.  E.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Council  of 

the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  N.  A.,  Rev.  George  Drach,  Trappe,  Pa. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  General  Council  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  North  America,  805-807  Drexel  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Rev.  L.  B.  Wolf.  21  West  Saratoga  Street,  Baltimore, 

Md. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church,  Rev.  H.  H.  Weber,  York,  Pa. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Synod  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  the  South,  Rev.  C.  L.  Brown,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

FRIENDS — American  Friends  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,   Mr.  Ross  A.  Hadley, 

Richmond,  Ind. 

Evangelistic  and  Church  Extension  Board  of  the  Friends  Five  Years'  Meeting, 
Mr.  Harry  R.  Keates,  1314  Lyon  Street,  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL — Foreign  Mission  Board,  German  Evangelical  Synod  of 

North  America,  Rev.  E.  Schmidt,  1377  Main  Street,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod  of  North  America, 
Evansville,  Ind. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL — The  Department  of  Missionary  Education.  Represent- 
ing the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church 
Extension,  and  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools.  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  (SOUTH) — The  Educational  Department  of  the  Board  of 
Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Rev.  E.  H.  Rawlings, 
810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Term.  (Correspondence  concerning  both  foreign 
and  home  missions.) 

METHODIST  PROTESTANT — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 

Church,  Rev.  Fred.  C.  Klein,  316  North  Charles  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  Rev.  Charles  H. 
Beck,  West  Lafayette,  Ohio. 

MORAVIAN — The  Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  Moravian  Church 
in  America,  Northern  Province,  Rev.  F.  W.  Stengel,  Lititz,  Pa. 

PRESBYTERIAN  (U.  S.  A.) — The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 

Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  B.  Carter  Millikin,  Educational  Secretary;  Rev. 

George  H.  Trull,  Sunday  School  Secretary,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  J. 

Edward  Tompkins,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

PRESBYTERIAN  (U.  S.) — Executive  Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  U.  S.,  Mr.  John  I.  Armstrong,  154  Fifth  Avenue,  North, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

General  Assembly's  Home  Missions  of   the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S. 
Rev.  S.  L.  Morris,  1522  Hurt  Building,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL — The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  W.  C.  Sturgis,  281  Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York  City. 

REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA — Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Rev.  E.  W.  Miller- 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  Rev.  W.  T.  Demarest:  Board  of  Publication  ana 
Bible  School  Work,  Rev.  T.  F.  Bayles.  25  East  Twenty-second  Street,  New 
York  City. 

REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES — Mission  Study  Department.  Rep- 
resenting the  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  Mr.  John  H.  Poor- 
man,  304  Reformed  Church  Building,  Fifteenth  and  Race  Streets,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 


UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST— Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  S.  S.  Hough, 

Otterbein  Press  Building,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Home  Missionary  Society,  Miss  Lyda  B.  Wiggim,  United  Brethren  Building, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

Young  People's  Work,  Rev.  O.  T.  Deever,  Otterbein  Press  Building,  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

UNITED  EVANGELICAL — Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  and  Board  of  Church  Extension,  Rev.  B.  H.  Niebel, 
Penbrook,  Pa. 

UNITED  NORWEGIAN  LUTHERAN — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  United  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  America,  Rev.  M.  Saterlie,  425-429  South  Fourth  Street, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Board  of  Home  Missions,  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  America,  Rev. 
Olaf  Guldseth,  425  South  Fourth  Street,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN — Mission  Study  Department  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  Rev.  James  K. 
Quay,  200  North  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America, 
Rev.  R.  A.  Hutchison,  209  Ninth  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

UNTVERSALIST — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  General  Sunday 
School  Association  of  the  Universalist  Church,  Rev.  A.  Gertrude  Earle, 
Methuen,  Mass. 

CANADIAN  BOARDS 

BAPTIST — The  Canadian  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Board,  Rev.  J.  G.  Brown,  223 
Church  Street,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND — The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Church  of  England  in 
Canada,  Rev.  Canon  S.  Gould,  131  Confederation  Life  Building,  Toronto, 
Ontario. 

CONGREGATIONAL — Canada  Congregational  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Miss  Effie 
Jamieson,  23  Woodlawn  Avenue,  East,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

METHODIST — Young  People's  Forward  Movement  Department  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Church,  Canada,  Rev.  F.  C.  Stephenson,  299  Queen 
Street,  West,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

PRESBYTERIAN — Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
A.  E.  Armstrong,  439  Confederation  Life  Building,  Toronto,  Ontario. 


REVISED  TO  MAY  i,  1917 


UN 
AA    000834158    8 


